Rediscovering
by TheRealRenee
Summary: Chapter 26 now up \\ After Amy returns to the WWE, she and Adam "rediscover" one another. Lita/Edge, Trish/Jeff, Mickie/Jericho, Melina/Punk, MVP, others
1. Chapter 1

**_A/N - In this story, Trish has retired from the WWE as well, but was never married_**

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_RAW 15th Anniversary, December 10, 2007_

He felt his heart thumping wildly as he made his way out. Walking alongside his friend and former tag team partner, Randy Orton, he couldn't see a thing aside from her, couldn't hear anything but her adorable laughter.

Adam Copeland was grateful for this final segment of the night. It had been a long show for the WWE's fifteenth anniversary of RAW, and now he would get the chance to talk to her again in the flesh... Everyone was out of character, enjoying themselves in or around the ring. Mr. McMahon had played his part extremely well, as the tall blond man stepped just past him as the Chairman lay on the arena floor. He'd taken the Stone Cold Stunner brilliantly, selling the move better than probably anyone else in the company.

Austin had invited every single superstar in the locker room to come out to the ring to join him in a "beer." In reality, the beverage was Diet Pepsi, since Steve had quit drinking in 2003 - but the fans didn't have to know that. And even if they did, they liked to pretend it _was_ beer.

Adam entered the ring with Randy, and he was unable to keep the grin from spreading across his face. Steve handed him a can, and one to Orton as well. After popping them open, the two friends smashed cans in the air, liquid sloshing out and on them.

He didn't mind. He was too excited to be here, and to see her... She was standing a mere five or so feet away with Trish Stratus, another diva who had returned for the special night.

Compelled, he felt his gaze drawn directly to the redhead, unable to look elsewhere. He didn't want to stare out of worry he would make her feel uncomfortable, but damn it, he couldn't help himself. She looked so beautiful, more so than ever if such a thing were possible.

She met his gaze, and her hazel eyes seemed to sparkle as she smiled. For a beat, she leaned closer to Trish and whispered something to her, causing the petite blonde to grin and say something back.

The next thing he knew, Adam found himself closing the distance between them. He approached the two women, his gaze still trained on Amy Dumas. And then, he was before her, a small smile touching his lips as she looked up at him.

"Amy... Hi," he said, nearly breathless by the sight of her. He glanced at the woman beside her, always a friend to them both. "Hi, Trish."

"Hi, Adam!" The blonde grinned and instantly threw her arms around him for a hug.

As he hugged his fellow Canadian back, the tall blond man couldn't help but keep his eyes trained on the redhead. Once they parted, his heart quickened again as Amy stepped forth to hug him. It was curt and maybe even a tiny bit awkward, but she also placed a quick kiss on his cheek.

"Adam, it's great to see you," she whispered.

Just then, one of the women who'd appeared earlier in the night as one of the Godfather's hos sidled up to him. She bumped him in the hip, causing his attention to go elsewhere for the tiniest fraction. The woman made a sort of come-hither face at him, and he smiled but put up a hand, telling her in a nice way to get lost. How could she have enough nerve to bother him while he was talking with the one and only Amy Dumas?

Amy and Trish exchanged glances as the girl tried with the blond man again. This time, Adam's smile faded and he voiced a firm "no" to her - and lo and behold, she got the message. She moved on, but not far as she bumped into the enthusiastic Orton next.

The Canadian man turned his attention back on his two friends - well, mostly on the redheaded goddess...

Amy smiled at him, and he felt his heart pretty much melt into a pile of mush. It was the same old feeling he'd always had about her, ever since their first meeting back nearly eight years earlier.

"How have you been, Adam?" she asked. She knew he had just returned to action a couple of weeks prior, following his most recent pectoral muscle injury. He'd been World Champion and had had to relinquish the the title due to it back in July. She'd watched that episode of SmackDown, and it had broken her heart to see him so sad. He'd even had tears in his eyes. She'd actually wished she'd never retired from wrestling and had been there with him during such a rough moment.

"Me?" he asked innocently. "I've been great." He stared at her, unable to move his eyes elsewhere in spite of the fact that Trish was also talking to him. He thought of his current storyline with Vickie Guerrero and wished, not for the first time, that he didn't have to do it. He wondered how it had been that anyone could have envisioned him in such an angle after the one with Amy... No one could replace the Edge and Lita romance storyline, because, just like with Lita, no one could ever serve as a substitute for Amy... No one.

_No one_... The two words echoed in the blond man's head, and they bowled him over like a ton of bricks. What was he doing in his life? He realized right then and there, as he continued to gaze at the redhead, that he needed to make some changes.


	2. Chapter 2

"Did you have as much of a blast as I had tonight? Seriously, how awesome was it?" 

Amy grinned as she eyed her friend. Trish was practically bursting at the seams with excitement as they drove back to the hotel together. 

"I did enjoy myself," the redhead admitted, though her voice was nowhere as vigorous and exuberant as the blonde's. "It was fun beating up Jillian." 

"Oh, come on, Amy!" the canadian cried as she expertly turned the rental car's steering wheel. "You know you had a lot more fun than that - and _not_ at Jillian's expense." 

The taller woman stared at her friend and sucked in an inaudible breath between her teeth. It was times such as these that she wished Trish had a more tactful and diplomatic personality. 

"Not sure I'm following you, Trish." 

The blonde smirked at her as she turned into the parking lot. They were finally there. She swiftly found an empty spot and pulled the vehicle into it. 

"Sure you're not," came the sarcastic reply. Trish pulled the parking brake and undid her seatbelt. "You know exactly whom I'm talking about, and you can't deny it." 

Amy bit her lip. Why did Trish have to grill her like this about Adam? It wasn't any of her business, plain and simple. How she felt about him, how their relationship had ended, and everything else about the two of them, whether as a couple when they'd been together, or as friends, was their own business. How she felt about him now was nobody's concer but her own as well. Besides, she had moved on. She was dating Shane Morton, the guitar player in her band, The Luchagors. She couldn't be _more_ over Adam. 

"There's nothing there, no matter what you think," she told her friend in a firm voice. She hoped that would be the end of it. 

"Right... Amy, I _know_ you. And I saw the way you were looking at him," the little blonde insisted. She exited the driver's side door and made a beeline for the trunk. 

The redhead followed suit, her mood soured. The truth was, she _had_ felt good about tonight - very good. In fact, about a million thoughts had whirled through her head after she'd gone out there, past gorilla position, down the entry ramp and out into the arena. She'd come to realize just how very much she missed being a wrestler. 

Amy reached into the trunk for her wheeled suitcase ahead of the smaller woman. 

"It's over, Trish. That ship has sailed," she stated. "Period." She gave her a pointed look. "And besides, I'm in a relationship. I think he is, too. The end." 

The blonde had a response in mind but held her tongue as the two began walking toward the hotel. She just didn't get Amy at all. She was very good at reading people, especially those who were personal friends. Then again, she probably didn't know all the details of the redhead's breakup with the Canadian man. She shrugged as they entered the hotel through the automatic double doors. 

After a moment of silence, she spoke again, opting to change the subject somewhat. 

"Well... I just had a blast tonight," she said as they stepped onto the elevator. "And it made me realize how much I miss being there." 

The redhead turned her head to meet her friend's chocolate-brown eyes. "I think I'd like to make a comeback." 

"Really?" Amy's jaw dropped at the revelation. She knew of course how much Trish had loved wrestling, how diligently she'd trained in her early days, and how passionate she'd been before retiring in September the previous year. When you really got down to it, she herself felt the same way. There was no way she could deny it. 

"Really," the petite blonde said, clutching the handle of her bag tightly. An expression of girlish excitement came across her features. "I think I'd like to give it another go, Amy!" She closed her eyes, gesturing lightly with her free hand as she continued. "It's just that after more than a year of being away, it's calling to me again - beckoning. I can't ignore that. I'm going to tell Vince I want to come back." 

"Wow," was all the redhead could manage for a moment. 

The two women stepped off the elevator, as it had reached their floor. As they strolled down the hall to their rooms, Amy was quietly thoughtful. It was strange... It was strange that Trish would be feeling the way she'd just expressed. It was as though the blonde had read her own thoughts, because they were identical. Amy had been feeling pretty much the exact same way, but it had been so for the last few months. Competing or refereeing once in a blue moon on the independent circuit just didn't cut it for her. It quenched a tiny thirst for a very short time, but it was not enough - _never_ enough. 

"Good night, Amy," Trish cut into her thoughts. The redhead came back to her senses, realizing they'd reached her friend's room. 

"Night, Trish." 

As the blonde let herself in, she moved on to the next room the right, which was hers for the evening. 

She was exhausted. However, as Amy entered the room and began getting ready for bed, she knew she wouldn't be getting much sleep thanks to her overactive thoughts. 

Damn it, the fans had been merciless toward her up until the end... Well, at least some of them had - the rude, judgmental, mindless idiots who didn't seem to grasp the fact that her personal life was her _own_. They were the ones that had driven her away from the business she'd once so loved. And, in the process, they'd driven her away from the man she'd loved as well - _far_ away. 

She thought about earlier that night, when she'd entered that arena filled with tens of thousands of screaming fans... They had actually given her quite a reception. She'd heard cheers - no boos, no jeers. It had felt absolutely great. She'd missed that feeling. She wanted it back. 

As Amy finally settled into the bed for the night, she knew she had a lot to do in the coming days. Her life was about to change, and she had to prepare herself for it. 


	3. Chapter 3

_Flashback - February 14, 2007_

A strong sense of dread overtook Amy as she let him into her house. MacKenzie, her little dog jumped up as she greeted him excitedly. 

Adam smiled and knelt to greet the terrier mix, picking her up so she could kiss him on the chin. 

Amy smiled softly, sadly. It was sweet how they got along. The tall blond man was just about as big an animal lover as she was, especially where dogs were concerned. In fact, he'd helped her out quite a bit with her ADORE charity earlier in their relationship. 

She bit her lip nervously as he straightened up again to face her. How was she ever going to do this? 

"Hey," the tall Canadian said with a smile. He handed her a bouquet of roses and kissed her. 

Amy stayed silent except to thank him for the beautiful, fragrant flowers. She wondered how she hadn't even noticed them as he'd entered the house. That was exactly how very distracted she felt, because she was by no means normally that oblivious. 

"Here, let's put those in water," he offered, and he ran off to get a vase. MacKenzie followed at his heels. 

The redhead sighed and plopped down onto her plush sofa. She listened to her boyfriend puttering around in her kitchen. Moments later, he came back carrying the pretty crystal vase, the roses inside, with MacKenzie following. She eyed him intently as he placed the flowers in the middle of the dining room table and then came over to sit beside her. 

Amy bit her lip again as their eyes met, and, try as she might, she couldn't keep the contact. She couldn't recall a time she'd felt more awkward around him - not even when they'd first kissed and he'd been married to his second wife. To say the least, it was not a comfortable feeling. 

She looked back up at him as she felt Adam's large warm hand on her forearm. His handsome face was adorning a warm smile. 

"Happy Valentine's Day," he said, and she felt a crushing sensation inside of her as she could so easily detect the love in his eyes - the love he held for her and always had. 

"Thank you, Adam..." It was actually on the tip of her tongue to say it back to him, but that would be ludicrous. Besides, he was from Canada, and they didn't do Valentine's Day. And what a cop-out thought that was, since he _had_ been living in the States the last several years - and his last two relationships had been with American women. "... Adam, we need to talk." She couldn't help but wonder if the words were more dreadful to _her_ than they were to him. 

------------------------------------

The tall blond man shook his head, his hands up in his shoulder-length hair. He looked over to meet her eyes, and expression of desolation within. 

"So, that's it? I can't believe you're breaking up with me," Adam said, "and on Valentine's Day, of all times." 

Amy held back the wince she felt, squaring her shoulders in an attempt to stay strong. She hated doing this to him. She knew she was breaking his heart, but for once she had to think of herself first. 

"I'm sorry," she said gently. "I just... I don't feel the same way. Ever since I quit wrestling, I seem to have drifted away." 

He stared at her with just about the saddest green eyes she'd ever seen. It tugged at her heartstrings, but she really _had_ drifted. Things were so different now, all the months apart... 

"Maybe we just need some time together alone - somewhere else, just the two of us," Adam suggested. "A change of scenery does wonders for lots of couples in a rut." 

She shook her head. 

"We're in more than 'just a rut,' Adam. I'm sorry, but... Everything has changed. _I've_ changed." 

"You seem the same to me," he said softly. He seemed to be pouting as he stepped close to her and took hold of both her hands. Only then did Amy notice the twin unshed tears shining in his eyes. "Amy, I love you... I don't want to lose you." 

The redhead was momentarily at a loss for words, but then rediscovered her voice. 

"I-I'm sorry, Adam." She merely met his eyes and somehow stayed firm in her stance, and after a beat, she gently pulled her hands from his. 

"One thing I can promise you is that no matter what, we'll always be friends - always." 

The blond man stared at her sadly, then turned his back as the tears finally slipped free. While he did want to remain friends - he _had_ to, _had_ to keep her in his life - he knew it would never be the same. He loved her and knew he always would. 

_End flashback _

Amy woke up with the memory-dream still fresh in her head. She felt awful as she sat up and clutched her chest. 

Momentarily disoriented, she remembered that she was in a hotel room... RAW - she'd appeared on the fifteenth anniversary special. 

It was still dark outside, which told her it was probably still quite early. However, she knew she'd never get back to sleep... Not after the memory of Adam looking so heartbroken. 


	4. Chapter 4

_The Next Morning_

Adam felt as though he were half-dead as he forced down his breakfast. He was sitting at a table in the hotel restaurant with friends and fellow wrestlers Alvin Burke, Jr. and Phil Brooks, better known as MVP and C.M. Punk to wrestling fans.

He couldn't remember the last time he felt so overly tired. Actually, yes, he could, but that was too unpleasant for him to want to remember right now. His girlfriend, Rebecca, had kept him on the phone way too late the previous night. He'd tried to hang up a few times, but no dice. Truth be known, it angered and upset him. She hadn't seemed to grasp or care that he had to travel to another city for SmackDown early the next morning.

He yawned as Phil looked past him, then got his attention. The straightedge young man gestured with one hand.

"Looks like we've got some former diva company."

In spite of himself, the Canadian turned fully, glancing over his shoulder. Sure enough, Amy and Trish had just entered the place and were being seated at a table for breakfast. Trish saw him and smiled, raising a hand to wave. He waved back, but Amy, on the other hand, hadn't seemed to even notice him. However, the little blonde gave her a nudge and then she glanced over her shoulder to wave.

Adam suddenly found himself grinning like an idiot. He was sitting there, staring at the back of Amy's head as she sat down and started looking at a menu. He only snapped out of it when Al swatted at him.

"Hey, Adam, we've gotta get going soon."

Adam finally faced forward again and glanced at his watch, dumbfounded. Meanwhile, his two friends exchanged glances, which went unnoticed by him.

"Damn it... I hope I have enough energy for my match tonight," he muttered.

"You better," Al retorted. "I mean, you're only winning the World Heavyweight Championship on Sunday." He smirked, and it became a smile.

Phil was placing some cash down on the table. Adam hadn't even realized the waitress had come by with their check. He was either _that_ tired or had been _that_ consumed with staring at the back of Amy's head - maybe both.

"Well, it's been fun, but I have to split," the dark-haired, tattooed man announced as he stood up.

"Yeah, me too." Alvin rose as well, tossing some bills onto the table. "See you later, Adam."

"Later, guys," he replied. He was a slowpoke this morning, but he couldn't help it. He gulped down the rest of his coffee as he reached for his last bite of toast.

It took everything he had not to turn around and openly stare at Amy again. He couldn't help himself. She was his ex-girlfriend and all that, but it was like a drug for him. He knew he had never gotten over her.

Just then, he became startled by the sudden ringing of his cell phone. It was silent but on vibrate, so not only did he hear it, he felt it. Reaching for the device, he glanced down at the display and groaned. What could Rebecca possibly want now? He should have shut the phone off.

Resignedly, he flipped the phone open to answer as he placed some money on the table.

Amy studied Trish's face as the little blonde watched with intensity.

"Is he gone?"

Trish met her friend's eyes and burst out laughing.

"Yeah, he is. You should see yourself - you look _so_ funny!"

The redhead stared at her, not quite getting it.

"What do you mean?"

"Oh, come on, Amy," the blonde said. "It's so obvious you wanted to turn around and look at him yourself, but you're being all silly about it. It's like we're back in high school! 'Is he gone?'" She cracked up loudly enough to draw attention, which mortified the taller woman.

Amy said nothing but stared down at her menu for a beat. She _had_ actually been kind of distracted when she'd heard Adam talking on his cell phone. It had been very obvious as well that he'd been speaking with his girlfriend. She didn't know why, but for some reason she'd felt a tiny bit bothered by that.

"As I live and breathe... Look who's here."

Both women looked up at the sound of the voice to see Mickie James, the owner of it. With her were Chris Jericho - who was holding her hand - and Jeff Hardy.

"Oh, my God!" Trish squealed and got up to hug them in an instant. Things had been so rushed the prior night at RAW that they hadn't gotten to see everyone.

Amy rose as well, delighted to see her three good friends. They all exchanged hugs, and the redhead smiled to herself as she watched Jeff and Trish. The little blonde had had a huge crush on the rainbow-haired man a few years back, but it had gone unrequited. Amy couldn't help but wonder if she was still carrying a torch for the younger Hardy.

"You ladies really got the fans going last night!" Jeff exclaimed. He still had an arm around Trish's slender shoulders, a gesture that had the blonde's heart beating somewhat faster. She also couldn't seem to stop grinning. She let out a nervous laugh.

That was the precise moment that Amy got an answer to her mental question... Yup, sure enough, it seemed that Trish had never gotten over Jeff. She smiled knowingly. Then, clearing her throat, she surveyed the trio.

"Do you guys want to join us?" She gestured around the table.

"Sure!" Mickie said in her normally happy, peppy tone. The brunette squeezed into the booth beside Amy as Chris reached for a chair, pulling it over to the head of the table. In the meantime, Jeff seated himself beside Trish on the opposite booth.

The waitress came by in an instant to hand menus to the newcomers. Moments later, when she came back and they ordered, the redhead turned to Jericho and Mickie. The two were again holding hands, this time of course on the table's top.

"So... When did _this_ happen?" she asked, gesturing to their hand-holding.

Chris and Mickie exchanged glances, with the bouncy little brunette looking almost giddy as her cheeks tinted slightly red.

"Oh, the night of my return," the short-haired blond man said, raising his girlfriend's hand to kiss the back of it. "I saw her backstage and had to know her."

"We started talking and went out," the former Women's Champion continued. "And we've been inseparable ever since."

"Aww, well, good for you two!" Trish said with a bright smile.

Although Amy definitely felt happy for her two friends, she couldn't help feeling sad. It felt as though something had been missing from her life for nearly the last year. And it made her feel incredibly empty.


	5. Chapter 5

Amy and Trish left the hotel together in silence. The taller woman eyed her friend, noting the very obvious, albeit small, smile touching her lips.

"So... You've still got a thing for Jeff, do you?"

The blonde looked up, meeting her friend's merry hazel eyes. She felt a blush creep into her cheeks and faced forward again as they walked.

"He's a great guy," Trish said. "And I've always found him fascinating, you know?"

"Yeah," the redhead said cheerily. "I _do_ know." She let out a soft chuckle before speaking again. "So, are you gonna ask him out?"

"Amy!"

"What?" She turned to stare at the little blonde, whose expression looked somewhat shocked. "What is the big deal? Women have been asking men out on dates for decades now."

"Yeah, but..."

"But what? Trish, I know Jeff so well. He's totally into you," Amy stated.

"You really think so?" the blonde asked, her face growing serious.

The redhead nodded.

"I really do," she replied. "In all honesty, he's never flat out told me he was interested in you... But look at how he acted this morning." She turned to fully face her friend. "I say go for it."

Trish's face again blossomed into a full smile. She remained thoughtfully quiet for a moment until taking a quick glance at her watch.

"Crap, it's almost eleven... I told Mr. McMahon I would meet with him."

"You mean about...?"

The tiny blonde nodded.

"I told him I was interested in coming back, and he said to meet him in the hotel lobby."

Amy's brows quirked upward as though with surprise.

"Mind if I come along?"

Trish shook her head.

"Not at all... Come on!" she said excitedly, pulling her close friend by the hand to hurry.

A few minutes later, they were back in the hotel's spacious lobby. The two women walked and kept going until they spotted the WWE Chairman and owner seated in a cozy corner with plush armchairs and a coffee table with a lovely flower arrangement placed on its center.

"Mr. McMahon!" Trish said. It was difficult for her to keep the excitement from entering her voice.

"Good morning, ladies," Vince said cordially, standing up to greet them. He gave each woman a friendly hug before gesturing to them to sit. Only after they did so did he seat himself again.

The older man was actually a bit surprised to see Amy, pleasantly so. But the woman had probably just accompanied her friend and nothing more.

"I understand you wanted to talk to me about making a big comeback," he said, directing his words to Trish.

"More than anything. I miss being in the ring so much... Wrestling has been such a huge and passionate part of my life, Vince," the blonde said. "I would even be willing to be a jobber! Just as long as I can be back with my WWE family."

Mr. McMahon let out a small laugh. He crossed his legs, sitting back as he spoke.

"Trish, don't be silly... You'd never make a convincing jobber." Then, he nodded with a smile. "Welcome back, Miss Stratus."

The Canadian's mouth hung open for a beat as she gladly took the Chairman's hand to shake on it. She'd just been rehired! She couldn't believe how happy, even _thrilled_ she was feeling!

"Mr. McMahon?" This time, it was Amy who had spoken. "I would like to come back as well... If it's not too much trouble."

--

_That night_

"Yeah, okay... Okay. I know. Look, I've gotta go."

Adam pinched the bridge of his nose, his eyes closing as he stopped pacing his locker room, his cell phone held up to his left ear.

"I understand that, Rebecca," he said. "I'm sorry to cut you off, but I _need_ to go."

A few seconds later, the phone conversation with his girlfriend of five months finally came to an end. He flipped his cell phone to a close and dropped it into his bag, then headed out into the hallway.

As he was making his way to catering with the intention of grabbing himself a bottle of water, he ran into Phil.

"Hey, man," the straightedger greeted his friend.

"Hey, Phil. Big match with Chavo tonight, huh?"

"Yeah," the dark-haired man said with a nod. "Hey, did you hear the big news?"

"What big news?"

The tattooed young man looked surprised at his question. He had figured Adam would have been one of the first to find out.

"Lita and Trish," he started. "They're both making a comeback!"

"Huh?" The tall blond man swore he had to have heard wrong.

"You heard me, man... Lita and Trish are coming back!" Phil smacked the taller man's shoulder in a manly, friendly manner. "That'll be great for the women's division, huh?"

Adam finally realized he'd heard correctly after all. For some reason, his heart was now pounding twice as quickly as it normally did. He couldn't believe it.

"Oh, my God... That's awesome!" he exclaimed. Amy was coming back... This was the most fantastic news he'd heard in a long time. In fact, it even surpassed the revelation that he would be winning the World Heavyweight Championship.

He had to call her... No, better yet, he would wait until she was officially back and speak to her in person.

"I'll see you later, Adam." Phil gestured with a pointing finger toward the women's locker room. He was heading there to see his girlfriend, Melina Perez, who was on hand for a match on SmackDown that night.

"Yeah, see ya, Phil," the blond man called back. He trotted the rest of the way to catering, his mood now elevated to the ceiling.


	6. Chapter 6

_December 17, 2007 - Armageddon_

Adam quickened his pace as he pulled his wheeled suitcase along. He was feeling extra anxious and excited, and he would be lying to himself if he didn't acknowledge that there were actually _two_ reasons for that. One, he would be winning the World Heavyweight Championship in his triple-threat match against the Undertaker and Batista later that night, and two, he was going to get the chance to see Amy face-to-face, in the flesh.

He knew she didn't have a match scheduled, but she would indeed be at the arena. There were actually goosebumps on his skin, and he felt butterflies in his stomach.

"Would you slow down a little?" came a disgruntled voice. "You have to remember that some of us don't have legs as long as yours!"

The blond man smirked as he cast Phil a quick glance over his shoulder.

"Yeah!" This time, it was Melina who'd spoken. The pretty brunette actually had to stop because her bag had turned over. The straightedge superstar did so as well, giving his girlfriend a helping hand.

Adam sighed and stopped to wait for them. He supposed he _had_ been walking extra fast, but he couldn't help it - not with his current mood.

The ringing of a cell phone distracted them, and the brunette reached into her pursed. She glanced at her phone.

"It's Jillian," she announced, then quickly flipped it open. "Hey, Jill."

The three began walking again as Phil took it upon himself to pull Melina's suitcase as well as his own.

"Yeah, we're almost inside," the pretty diva said. She walked alongside her boyfriend as she continued talking.

A moment or so later, she had an excited gleam in her eyes, a smile dominating her lovely face. She skipped ahead of Phil to hold the door open for him.

"Guess what? I've got a match tonight!"

"You do?" Adam questioned. He found that odd, as there hadn't been a women's match scheduled for the pay-per-view.

"Yeah... They just added it to the card. Actually, it's happening before we go on the air." She reached for her suitcase, relieving Phil of the task of towing it.

"Well, that's great, Mel!" the young man said with a grin. "Who's your opponent gonna be?"

Adam wasn't really paying all that much attention at that point - until Melina answered her boyfriend's question.

"The entire diva division. It's a battle royal."

The tall blond man stopped, turning fully around at the response. Amy would be competing that night. He couldn't be happier... He'd missed seeing her in the ring, as he knew how much she loved it. Hell, he'd missed _her_ more than anything else and more than he could ever explain in mere words. He had to go see her later.

"Gotta go. Good luck in your matches later," the Canadian called to his friends. He held up a hand to them before bounding off down the hallway. He wanted to get to his locker room and get ready before scouring the hallway for Amy. He really wanted to talk to her. He wondered if she would be arriving alone or with Trish. He wondered a whole bunch of things and told himself to get it together. He was practically in knots just thinking about her.

As he reached the locker room, he tried to get hold of himself. He reminded himself that things were different now and not at all like old times. The redhead had broken up with him nearly a year earlier... On top of that, she had a new boyfriend now. And he himself was with someone as well. Rebecca...

Rebecca deserved better than him. The line played out in his head as he sat down in the room. He knew he didn't love her, at least not in _that_ way. He'd told himself he did, told her as well, but the tall blond man knew otherwise. He'd been deceiving himself all this time, believing he was over Amy...

... He wasn't.

It was a fact he'd come to realize not merely the week earlier, when he'd seen her at the fifteenth anniversary show. Several months back, when he'd read some new articles on her and her band, and had viewed new pictures of her online, he just knew. And when you really got down to it, he knew he'd never stopped loving her.

As Adam dressed in his wrestling tights and boots, he knew he was in a real bind. He was in love with his ex-girlfriend, and he was with someone else. Amy was with someone now as well. Except for the fact that they weren't having an affair, it was sort of a similar situation to when they'd started seeing each other just over three years earlier.

He sighed with hopelessness and despair. He honestly believed there was one person out there who was meant to be with each person. And he truly believed - and knew - in his heart that Amy Dumas was the one meant for him.


	7. Chapter 7

Amy made her way back to the women's locker room, one hand tossing her damp red hair. She'd just had herself a shower and felt pretty good about the match that had happened two or so hours earlier. It had been a diva battle royal and her first match in over a year. She hadn't won, but it had still been great.

"Hey, you're just in time!"

The voice came from Trish, who had actually won the battle royal. For her victory, she would be heading into a feud with the current Women's Champion, Beth Phoenix. The blonde was sitting on a couch in front of a TV monitor, a few other women hanging around as well. They had been sitting there watching all the matches all evening.

"What did I miss?" the redhead asked.

"Nothing much," Mickie said. "The main event is next."

"That's right, Amy," Trish cajoled. "You're just in time to see your man!" She let out a burst of laughter, and the other divas hooted and howled in a teasing manner.

Amy crossed over to sit between the blonde Canadian and Melina Perez. She swatted at Trish with the back of her right hand.

"Knock it off, Trish."

"Oh, so you're saying you _don't_ still have it for Adam?"

This time, Beth Kocanski had posted the question. The Women's Champion had a smile on her face that was partially a smirk. Amy really didn't know her all that well at all, and it made her uncomfortable to have her talk about this, even jokingly. Aside from Trish, very few of these women knew much, if anything at all, about her past relationship with the blond man. She was not a public person by nature, and she had always made sure to keep her private life exactly that way - private.

She bowed her head and said nothing. Hopefully, the other divas would get the message and leave her alone.

A moment later, Amy was extremely grateful toward Mickie, who changed the subject.

"So... Looks like Trish is next in line to feel the wrath of the Glamazon, huh?" the brunette quipped. "Take it from me, that is an experience you won't soon forget!" Mickie reached over to mock choke the little blonde, who laughed and stuck out her tongue.

"On the contrary... I'm looking forward to kicking your ass, Beth - no offense." Trish winked at the other blonde woman.

"None taken, Canada."

"Look, here comes Taker!" Melina exclaimed, pointing toward the television monitor.

The women kept relatively silent as they watched the big longtimer's entrance. Amy had always found it to be cool, but in all honesty, she had a lot more interest in Adam's. She had to admit it to herself. This should be interesting, since he was certainly the underdog, being that he was the smallest of the three competitors in the match. She didn't know all the details of how it was supposed to go down, but she knew Edge was slated to win back the World Heavyweight Championship. She found herself rapt as she watched the contest, eager to discover by what method the victory would occur.

As the match progressed, the redhead really got into it. Something strange happened about fifteen minutes into it, and for a moment, she thought she was seeing things.

"Hey... Is that someone else?" Melina questioned. "I could have sworn there are two Edges!"

Lisa Marie Varon, who was of course best known to wrestling fans simply as Victoria, squinted as she replied.

"Actually," the dark-haired women noted, "I think there are three!"

Amy was taken aback as she eyed the scene on the monitor. Sure enough, Lisa Marie was right. She suddenly thought she recognized the two Edge imposters as the Major Brothers. This was certainly an interesting twist.

"I can't believe what I'm seeing!" Trish cried. She was laughing as she spoke. "This is hilarious!"

"It's brilliant!" Beth exclaimed. She sat on the edge of the left arm of the couch to get a closer look as Edge covered Undertaker for the win.

The women all cheered or booed, depending on their favoritism of the competitors. Amy stayed silent, though she could feel the tiniest trace of a smile touching her lips. She was truly happy for Adam. He'd worked so hard over the years. He deserved to be champion again.


	8. Chapter 8

**_A/N: Thanks to Inday, rita louise evans, The Rated R singing Star!, johncenaissohot and SNP for reviewing this story thus far. You guys are all just awesome! ;) Expect a whole lot more out of this fic, maybe even a few surprises here and there. Keep reading and reviewing, and enjoy!_**

Adam came back to the locker room still grinning from ear-to-ear. Naturally, he had known he would be winning the World Heavyweight title again, but it didn't sour the feeling one bit.

He smiled as he raised the shiny gold belt and hefted it up onto his shoulder. He checked his reflection in the mirror, flipping some of his still damp shoulder-length blond hair back as he did so. Damn, this just felt _so_ nice.

He was startled by the sudden knocking on the locker room door. He put the championship belt down and cleared his throat to speak.

"Just a minute!" He knew it was silly and that probably every single person who'd ever won a title did the same at least once, he was a little embarrassed.

Adam went to the door and opened it, surprise coursing through him as to the identity of his visitor.

"Hi," he said, somewhat taken aback. He smiled. He couldn't help it.

"Hi yourself," Amy said as she stood there. She crossed her arms and leaned against the doorway. "I guess congratulations are in order."

"Thanks."

She cocked her head to one side, a playful expression dominating her beautiful face.

"That was really clever," she said. "Was it your idea?"

He knew she was referring to having Zack Ryder and Curt Hawkins pose as his double - and triple - in his match earlier that night.

"Actually, it wasn't," he answered. "It was Stephanie's idea and was brought to my attention just this afternoon."

The redhead arched an eyebrow, expressing her surprise at that revelation.

"Wow," she said. "Well, that's definitely surprising."

Adam nodded.

"Yeah, I know." In the years since she had been head of the creative team, Stephanie McMahon had never been much of a brainstormer - but he had to give it to her this time. She'd done a terrific job with this "Edgeheads" idea. He only hoped it would lead to a good push for the former Major Brothers and not end up with them getting lost in the shuffle.

"Hey," he said, suddenly remembering that she had had her first match back that night, "nice work in the diva battle royal." He offered her an appreciative smile.

"Oh. Thanks." She raised a hand to her long red hair, tossing it a little. She really hadn't given much thought to her own match after witnessing his.

They stood there in silence for a moment, just looking at each other. Then, Adam reached for his suitcase, which had been packed except for the title belt. He placed it in, on top of his clothing and then closed the bag.

"Hey," he began, "here's an idea... Would you care to join me for a quick bite before heading back to the hotel?"

Her eyes seemed to widen just a touch, and she felt a genuine twinge of... something inside. This was how their affair had started little more than four years earlier. They'd been friends, and they'd begun traveling together, going out to eat alone, just the two of them. It had started out all very innocently, but they had fallen in love. This was very dangerous territory, and she knew it.

"Oh, no..." She held up a hand in a gesture of protest. "No, but thanks."

The tall blond man felt crushed but wondered why. All he'd asked was for her to join him in a fast bite before they turned in to their separate quarters for the night. Yet, it actually hurt his feelings that she was turning him down. He knew she was his ex-girlfriend... But she was also a _friend_, always had been.

"Come on," he said, a smile pulling at his lips. "Just two old friends eating and catching up. Nothing more," he promised. "It's on me."

Amy bit her lip and looked into his emerald eyes. If she wasn't careful, she thought she might actually lose herself in them. She fidgeted with her hands and tried to explain.

"Well, the thing is... Trish..." She prayed she wouldn't stumble over her own words. She knew how lame she sounded right about then. "... We traveled together, and-"

"And Trish will be just fine if you abandon her tonight."

Both Amy and Adam looked toward the hallway to see the blonde diva herself standing there. Her face wore a big smile as she stood there watching them.

The redhead felt more embarrassed and thought about smacking her friend later on.

"What?"

"Jeff and I are taking off," Trish elaborated. "He's taking me for a pizza at a place he knows around here." She winked and gestured to them. "So, you're free to go with Adam, Amy. You won't be abandoning me." She shifted her chocolate-brown eyes from the redhead to the new World Heavyweight Champion, flashing another winning smile. She then glanced down at her wrist, making a very obvious point of checking her watch. "Well, I've got to run. Jeff wanted me to meet him right about now. Bye, guys!" She waved happily before leaving.

Amy felt herself burning up inside at her friend's apparent scheming. It seemed Trish had fixed things so that she would be put into such a situation with Adam. She bowed her head as she thought about it, realizing she was being silly. Trish had always liked Jeff... That and that alone was her agenda.

She raised her head and met her ex-boyfriend's amused green eyes. Sheepishly, she voiced what was on her mind.

"You know, on second thought... A bite sounds good."


	9. Chapter 9

**_A/N: Thanks to Inday, crazynakedsexpart69 and SNP for reviewing the last couple of chapters. I greatly appreciate it! ;)_**

Adam could hardly believe he and Amy were out to dinner together. It was almost as though he had to pinch himself to really believe it. But she was right there, all right, sitting across from him and carrying on a conversation with him.

"Yeah, it's so fun," she said with enthusiasm, a grin on her face. "You know how badly I've always wanted to be in a band, and I wouldn't even care if we never made it big."

"I totally get you," the blond man said with a smile. Like Amy, he too had always been hugely into rock n' roll. He'd taken guitar lessons a few years earlier and would have formed a band himself, but he really wasn't any good. He couldn't sing and wasn't an ace on the six-string, either. Oh well.

"I'm so grateful toward Shane for helping me to fullfil that dream, you know?"

Adam's smile faded at the mention of her current boyfriend. He'd only met the guy once, when he'd gone to see The Luchagors a year and a half earlier and he and Amy had still been together. He'd seemed nice enough, but he couldn't understand what the redhead saw in the man. More importantly, he really didn't want to think about her being with another guy the way she had been with him. It just didn't seem possible... His brain just didn't want to accept it.

"Uh huh," he muttered, hoping she wouldn't be able to see through him. Maybe he should just change the subject.

"So... Your match earlier," he cut in. "Do you know who you're going to be feuding with now?"

She shook her head as she played with some leftovers on her plate.

"They don't have anything planned for me at the moment," she said. "But it looks like Trish is going to be feuding with Beth for the title. Maybe if she wins, I'll be tossed in there."

This time, the tall blond man felt a smile returning to his face.

"The next chapter of Lita vs Trish Stratus? Sounds great!"

Amy opened her mouth and was about to reply when the sound of Adam's cell phone abruptly went off. She eyed him as it rang, and he reached for it, apologizing.

He took a quick look at the display and nearly groaned aloud. Why did she always seem to choose the worst times to call? He cast an apologetic look the redhead's way as he flipped open the phone to answer.

"Hi, Rebecca."

Amy stared at him, her gaze shifting away as he talked on his cell phone. For some reason that she didn't quite understand, she felt... uncomfortable. Her stomach seemed to tense up, and her mouth had gone dry. Why should it bother her that Adam's girlfriend called? They were so over, and she had actually been the one to move on first. Yet, she could hardly deny the twinge she felt.

She had to get up and away while he was on the phone with her. She rose and gave him a pointed look, speaking to the blond man with her eyes before taking a walk to the ladies room.

Amy took a deep breath and exhaled it sharply as she entered, grabbing her own cell phone. It was in her head to dial Trish for a little advice and to vent, but she knew the blonde had gone out with Jeff. Since that could very well be their first date, she really felt badly about the idea of disturbing her. But this was really bothering her. Sighing, she bit the bullet and called her friend.

"Hello?" Trish answered with a laugh. It was obvious that she was having a good time, whatever was currently going on.

"Hey, Trish, it's Amy," the redhead said. "I'm sorry to bug you."

"Oh, you're not! What's up?"

Amy sighed. She was actually aggravated with herself over the fact that this bothered her. What the heck was wrong with her?

"It's Adam," she said. "Well, not really _him_, but... We were sitting there eating, having a perfectly nice time, and then..."

"And then...?" Trish echoed.

"... His girlfriend called," Amy blurted. She herself could hardly believe she felt somewhat miserable about it.

Trish held a pause for a beat. Then, "Oh... Well, it's understandable for you to feel awkward."

"I guess," she agreed with reluctance. "After all, he _is_ my ex-boyfriend. It's strange being right there and hearing him on the phone with his girlfriend."

"Yeah," the little blonde said, "I could imagne." She held her tongue from saying, _especially when you're still in love with him_. Aloud, she said, "I'm sure he won't stay on too long, knowing you're right there. Amy, did he... He didn't actually get up and leave you there to talk to her?"

"No," she replied. "Actually, _I'm_ the one who left the table. I'm in the ladies room."

"Oh, Amy," the blonde woman sighed. "Go back out there!"

She ran her free hand through her long red hair and caught a quick glimpse of her reflection in the mirror above the sink.

"I will, I will," she murmured. "I know I'm being silly..."

"You are," Trish agreed. "Go on. Look, I'm gonna go, okay?"

"Okay."

"Don't worry, Amy," the Canadian diva said. "Everything will be fine. He's probably off the phone by now, anyway."

A moment later, they ended the conversation, and the redhead hung up. She took one last quick look in the mirror before heading back out there.

Trish was right. Adam was indeed already off the phone.


	10. Chapter 10

Adam ran a hand over his face and yawned. Once again, he had that weary, exhausted feeling. But this time, it was due to his extra long flight back home.

What a disaster the trip had turned out to be... There had been a stopover in Chicago, and then when he went to catch his second flight, there had been a four-hour delay due to mechanical difficulties. He had never been one to have a fear of flying, but after learning about that, he'd actually started to!

Now, at long last, the tall blond man had gotten to the airport and was approaching his gate. He tugged on his wheeled suitcase, and visions of his comfortable bed flew through his head when he suddenly heard a voice calling his name.

"Adam! Oh, my God, there you are... Adam!"

He craned his neck to get a better view past the crush of people up ahead. Then, sure enough, he spotted his girlfriend.

Rebecca Winters was smiling, waving frantically at him. Her long, straight dark hair swayed with her actions. She was dressed casually in a white sweater and jeans, with canvas sneakers on her feet.

Adam didn't mean anything malicious, but he wasn't happy to see her. He held the groan he felt building up inside his throat as he approached. Damn it, he was physically _and_ emotionally exhausted, and all he'd wanted was to get home and crash for at least a couple of hours.

"How was your flight?" the young woman asked as he finally reached her. She threw herself in his arms for a hug, and he gave her a half-hearted one with his free arm. She pulled back and peered up into his face. Being quite tall herself at five-eleven, she didn't need to look up too much. "I understand you had a major delay?"

"Yeah, I did," he admitted with a sigh. He was anxious to get out of the airport and to his house. "It was pretty abysmal."

Rebecca smiled prettily.

"Aww... Well, that's a shame," she said. "Anyway, I'm parked in the lot." She pointed in the general direction of it, leading him. She grabbed hold of his hand and tugged him toward the door.

When they reached the area just outside of the airport, the tall blond man cleared his throat to speak.

"Err... I appreciate you coming all this way to meet me. And that goes double for the lift home." He swallowed, wondering how he was going to ask the question, because he knew she wasn't going to be happy hearing it. "Do you mind if I just spend the day alone afterward?"

The dark-haired woman merely turned to stare at him. There was an overt look of disappointment and hurt etched on her face. She was silent as they made the rest of their way to her car.

Adam felt uncomfortable. He knew how his girlfriend had to be feeling and was nearly overcome by the urge to explain himself. He had to break through the tension.

"It's just that I'm really dead on my feet," he said. "The flights were real rough, and I just want to crash."

Rebecca cast him another quick glance as she unlocked the passenger's side door for him to enter first. As he hefted his suitcase up and into the backseat, she went around to the driver's side - and then, he noticed her large valise in the back. Clearly, she'd planned to spend the night, and probably the next couple of days as well, at his place. He sighed before getting into the car.

"Well, I really had my heart set on spending the next couple of days with you."

He nodded dumbly, the feeling of discomfort still with him.

"I know."

"They drove in silence for nearly the entire trip, with only the radio playing. Adam twiddled his thumbs with his hands in his lap, thoughts he'd had for weeks plaguing him. He knew it was inevitable, and he'd have to do it sooner or later.

Once at his house, they left the car, still not speakinig. He retrieved his suitcase from the backseat while the brunette quietly pulled out her bag and swung it over one shoulder. Their eyes briefly met, and Adam was kind of aggravated as he realized Rebecca had apparently made up her mind despite his declaration of wanting to spend the day alone.

He heard his two dogs, Branny and Luger, barking up a storm from inside. His house keys in hand, the Canadian scrambled to unlock the door. The moment he had it open, the dogs jumped up with excitement, happy to see their "daddy."

Adam couldn't ignore the unpleasant sensation in the pit of his stomach as he turned back to Rebecca. She didn't say a thing to him, opting instead to continue giving him the silent treatment as she sauntered away.

Shaking his head and ignoring his dogs for the time being, he followed the woman. Was she going to make things _that_ difficult for him?

"Rebecca... I'd really rather be alone," he announced.

She had positioned herself on his sofa, sitting in the middle of it and crossing her legs. She looked up at him innocently as she grabbed the TV remote and flicked the set on.

"I know," she said. "I heard you before." She turned her eyes to the TV.

The blond man sighed unhappily and stood there, facing her. This was it, the final straw.

"I think we need to talk."

She still didn't speak, but this time her gaze fixed on him and didn't waver.

"I've been feeling this awhile now, but..." Adam ran a hand through his long blond hair and quickly spilled it. "It's not gonna work out between us."

Rebecca still said nothing, but she kept that stare on him. He noticed her eyes filling with tears and felt badly, but he wasn't going to change his mind. This breakup had been awhile coming.

The brunette rose from the sofa and stepped past him, refusing to utter a word. She had such a passive-aggressive personality, and that was actually one of the things Adam felt made them so incompatible.

"Are you... going to be okay?" he asked. He felt like such a jerk for asking that question when he'd clearly just broken her heart, but he still cared enough about her to want her to be all right.

She turned back to face him as she reached for her bag in the foyer. Straightening up and slinging it over her shoulder, she headed for the door and muttered something at him.

"I will be _now_."

The tall Canadian watched as she exited his home through the front door. He felt badly about hurting anyone, but he knew he'd done the right thing.


	11. Chapter 11

**_A/N: Thanks to Melissa Ryan for reviewing the last chapter! I do hope more people review from here on out, because I'm really working hard to make this story great. Happy reading of this new chapter! :)_**

"Have you heard the news yet?"

Melina was bubbling as she stepped into the women's locker room. Always one who enjoyed gossip, her expression was lively, brown eyes sparkling.

"What news?" Candice Michelle was the first to ask. She looked up from the makeup bag through which she'd been rummaging.

"This is big," Melina practically sang. "Huge, even!"

A few of the other divas neared her, gathering in a half-circle to hear whatever the 'news' was that she had to share.

"Well, don't keep us in suspense, Perez," Beth insisted, nudging the other woman. "Spill it already!"

"Okay, okay," the Latina relented. She gestured with both hands, her cell phone in her right. "Well, to start, I just got off the phone with Phil."

"We know, we know," Maria Kanellis said wearily, shaking her head. She wondered if this had anything to do with him. "So, it's just something about your boyfriend?" she asked tiredly.

"Nope," the brunette replied. "Now, shut up and listen!"

From halfway across the room, Amy barely looked up as she finished tying her wrestling boots. She liked the other divas, but she honestly had no interest in gossip like they did. As far as she was concerned, she had better things to do. Surprised, she realized Trish had gone over to join the group, but she looked back down, continuing to get ready for the match she had later that night - until she heard Melina's news.

"Adam is officially back on the market... He broke up with his girlfriend!"

Amy's head shot up as she stared over at Melina. For some reason she couldn't explain, her heart was suddenly hammering.

"Is that true?" Ashley Massaro asked, pretending to swoon. "Ooh, I'd _love_ to get with him!"

"Yeah, it's too bad you're engaged to John, huh?" Mickie cracked, sending an elbow into the blonde's ribs.

Trish, although shocked, was the only one of the group who'd remained silent thus far. She absorbed the news and shifted her gaze to her close redheaded friend, who was still on the other side of the locker room.

"Lilian, _you're_ not taken... Why don't you ask Adam out?"

Trish noticed immediately that Amy seemed to tense up a little at the moment those words left Beth's lips. Offering the others a smile, she moved away from them as Melina told them what else her boyfriend had revealed.

Amy was so consumed by her surprise that she hadn't even seen her friend. She gave a slight start when she felt her hand touch her shoulder and looked up to meet the blonde's brown eyes.

"Hey."

"You okay? You seem a little... out of it." 'Distracted' was probably a better word, but the Canadian knew exactly what was going through her friend's mind right now. "You wanna talk?" She hooked a thumb over her shoulder, gesturing toward the locker room door.

The redhead glanced past her at the group of WWE divas who were still abuzz with chatter. There was no way she could sit there and listen to them going on like that, anyway, so she met Trish's eyes again and nodded.

"It would be my pleasure."

The two slipped out of the room, deciding to head over to catering.

"So," Trish said, finally breaking the silence between them, "what do you think about the news?"

Amy shrugged, avoiding the other woman's eyes as she grabbed an apple. What exactly could she say?

"I don't know," she replied. "I guess things didn't work out between them."

"Obviously." The blonde bit her lip as she considered voicing what was really on her mind. Then, "Amy, I know you must be feeling pretty good about it."

The redhead whipped her head around to stare into her friend's chocolate-brown eyes.

"Why _would_ I? Trish, you still don't seem to grasp the fact that I'm with someone else. I _don't_ want Adam back. What's more, the thought never even crossed my mind," she snapped.

Trish stared at her, knowing the last part of what she said had to be a lie. Why else would she have called her that night when she'd been out with him, upset when his now ex-girlfriend called? Either the redhead was completely oblivious or just didn't want to acknowledge that the feelings were still there.

"Then why did you call me, freaked out when his girlfriend called when you were together the other night?"

Amy eyed her friend suspiciously, her stomach clenching up. It really didn't surprise her that Trish would throw that in her face.

"I didn't 'freak out,'" she protested.

The blonde stared at her with amazement.

"Amy, you hid out in the ladies room to call me! You said it bothered you that she called while you were together." She shook her head. "Come on, you're not going to stand there and keep denying the truth!" she cried.

"That's where you're wrong," the redhead challenged. "Except that there's no 'truth' to deny." At the corner of her eye, she barely noticed as Jeff entered the room. With nothing more to say, Amy simply spun on her heel and left.

Trish stared after her, upset about what had just transpired. She felt hurt and never expected her friend to act the way she had. She shook her head, sorry she'd even opened her mouth.

"Wow," Jeff said as he came over to put an arm around her waist. "What was _that_ all about?"

The little blonde shook her head again.

"I guess she's not ready to admit she's still in love with Adam." Sighing sadly, she shrugged, putting it out of her mind as she wrapped her own arm around the younger Hardy.


	12. Chapter 12

_**A/N: Thanks to Talena Atfield is my GODDESS for reviewing the last chapter. Heehee, you and me both - they're my favorite superstar and my favorite diva as well! ;)**_

_Supershow, January 14, 2008_

Amy couldn't help feeling nervous as she entered the arena. She wasn't alone but wasn't with Trish for a change, either, as her band, The Luchagors, was performing live on RAW that night.

"Hey, this is so cool," Shane Morton said as he looked around the place. He'd never been to a live wrestling event before, since he wasn't exactly a fan, but he was looking forward to seeing Amy in the ring.

Their bandmates, Troy and Jay, agreed in unison. They had never gotten the opportunity to play to an audience as huge as the one that would fill the seats that night, so this was extra special.

The redhead zoned out their banter as she wondered just how a certain tall blond Canadian ex-boyfriend was going to react. It had been announced on WWE dot com that a rock band would be playing that night, but there had been no names dropped. Amy felt a tiny bit guilty for that. She was relieved that they'd had to arrive at the arena an hour early.

"Okay, so where do we go?" her current boyfriend asked, rousing her from her worries about her ex.

"Oh, over this way," she said, directing them to their very own locker room for the night. She hoped she wouldn't be so distracted when they were onstage and she had to sing.

--

"So, who do you think's playin' live here tonight?"

Adam looked up at Alvin as he finished lacing his boots. He shrugged.

"I honestly don't know."

"It'd be sure sweet if it was Beyonce," Al remarked with a sly smile. "What I wouldn't give to meet her!"

"Fat chance," the blond man said with a smirk. "Besides, they said it's a band."

"Maybe it's Killswitch," Phil put in as he finished wrapping some tape around his wrists in prepping for his match later that night. "How awesome would _that_ be? I've seen them four times and they never disappoint!"

"Aw, you guys and that rock 'n roll!" Al complained with a dismissive wave of his right hand. He was much more into hip hop and R&B himself.

Adam grew silent as he wondered about who was slated to perform for the WWE audience. It was strange that they were being so mysterious about it, but he knew they were keeping it a surprise.

"Hey," Phil said, cutting into his thoughts, "why don't we go out there and see if we run into them? They can't be a secret now that they're obvious somewhere in the arena."

"Yeah, true. Okay, let's do some snoopin'," Alvin agreen. "You coming, Adam?"

The Canadian glanced up at his two friends. He nodded, deciding what the hell? He followed them out the door so that they could lurk in the arena hallway.

The three superstars were just shooting the breeze a few minutes when Adam's attention suddenly fell on Amy, who was standing just outside a room. He knew that wasn't the women's locker room and wondered what was up and if she'd met the mystery band before he had.

He stared at her back for a full minute before she moved, giving him a view of the three men who stepped out from the door... And he felt his stomach turn over as he recognized them. Well, it wasn't so much 'them' as it was their guitar player, Shane Morton... Amy's boyfriend.

"Hey, so it's The Luchagors!" the straightedge young man announced with a grin. "How cool is that?"

Adam shot Phil a look for being so loud, but it was too late. The band had turned around, and Amy led them slowly over.

_Great, just great!_ the blond man thought.

Hey, guys," the redhead said as they neared. She tried to avert her gaze from Adam's, but it wasn't easy. "Err... Shane, Troy, Jay... Meet Phil, Alvin and Adam. Or, as they're known in the ring, CM Punk, MVP and... Edge." Upon speaking her former boyfriend's character name, she slipped up, and her gaze briefly met his.

The guys began to shake hands as she stood idly by and watched. Inside, she was chastising herself. What had she been thinking in suggesting that _her_ band play live for this Supershow? How awkward was this, watching her current and former boyfriends meeting for the first time? It made her squirm. She wished she'd used better judgment.

"Okay then," she cut in. "We've gotta get out there to set up our gear and stuff." She hooked a thumb over her shoulder. She couldn't wait to get out of the immediate area. She could feel Adam's green eyes practically burning two new holes in her.

--

The moment The Luchagors finished playing, the band returned to the locker room. Amy didn't have a match scheduled, but she still had to return to the women's locker room. Before she could turn to head there, Shane pulled her to him and kissed her. Afterward, she turned to see none other than Adam standing nearby. Her heart just about stopped.

But why _should_ she feel the way she did, as though she'd just betrayed him? They were through and had been for nearly a year now. Yet, she still felt badly. She was about to approach him when the tall blond man suddenly turned on his heel and walked briskly away.

Amy knew she had to talk to him. Things were definitely weird between them, and it hurt her because she'd always cared about him. Just about the last thing she'd ever wanted was for things to be awkward between them, and she knew there had to be a way to iron everything out. There _had_ to be. But at the same time, she knew that at the moment, given the circumstances, now was neither the time nor the place.

The redhead sighed and continued on her way to the women's locker room. She had to talk to Trish and get a few words of friendly advice.


	13. Chapter 13

**_A/N: Thanks to TrishHardy13, alana2awesome, crazynakedsexpart69 and behindURlies for reviewing the last chapter. You're all just awesome! :) I'm glad that last one went over so well. Oh, the drama! Well, things are about to get even more drama-filled with the next couple of chapters. Hope you all read, enjoy and of course, review! ;)_**

Adam glared at the redhead, his jaw set angrily. He couldn't believe she would actually go ahead and do something like that. It burned him up inside something fierce.

Making up his mind, he marched straight for her. Her eyes were on him nearly the entire time, until she glanced around as though seeking a place to hide. But he was having none of that as he caught up to her.

"Can I have a word, Amy?"

The woman tried to feign innocence but failed miserably. She'd never been one who could successfully hide her true emotions.

"Um... I guess so," she said, wishing she hadn't.

"In private," the blond man stated. He pointed further down the hall in the direction of a supply closet he'd noticed earlier that night. He steered her directly toward that.

The moment the door shut behind them, Adam gave her a look. Of course, the room was pretty close to being pitch dark. The dingy little lightbulb hanging above them was probably a twenty-five watt.

"What's the big idea, Amy?" he barked, launching right in. He gestured with a shrug.

The redhead stared up at him.

"Excuse me? I'm not sure I'm following you."

That elicited a sarcastic little laugh from the tall blond man.

"Right, like hell you're not!" He crossed his arms over his chest and glared at her. The look made Amy feel quite uncomfortable, and she couldn't recall feeling that way around him, at least never to such an extent.

"You know _exactly_ what I'm talking about! Bringing loverboy here, flauting him around - what the hell is that?" he snapped.

So, that was it... He was jealous. She might have known. She sneered up at him and shouted back.

"I didn't 'flaunt' him to anyone! Why should you even care anyway, Adam? In case you've forgotten, you and I aren't together anymore! And how is this any different than you talking to your little girlfriend on the phone right in front of me?"

The blond man stared at her, his mouth opening to issue a reply, but words weren't immediately forthcoming. He nearly did a double-take, surprised by her last question.

"That's not the same thing," he pointed out, his tone considerably softer. "It's in no way the same, not when that was a phone call and this is in the flesh... In my _face_!"

Amy stared up into his obviously upset face, her arms crossing defensively over her chest. She pursed her lips a little and wondered why she was getting so angry with him. This all seemed pretty ridiculous.

"Look Adam... I didn't _expect_ Shane McMahon to take me up on the idea of having The Luchagors playing live at the Supershow." She bit her lip, hating that she'd just revealed to him that it had been her own idea.

"And yet, he did. And it was _your_ idea!" the Canadian bitterly muttered. He cocked his head, speaking again before she had the chance to.

"I'm curious... Why did it bother you when Rebecca called?"

This time, the redhead felt herself becoming very flustered. She started to answer him, but her words just seemed to get stuck.

"I just... well, I-I was..." She rolled her eyes, her left hand snaking up into her long hair. What the hell was wrong with her? She never got tongue-tied around Adam, never! "... Well, it threw me off! It was... awkward."

His demeanor grew considerably more gentle as he stared at her. Leaning against the door casually, he regarded her with his head slightly tilted.

"Why is that?"

Amy's fingers were still in her hair as she looked up again, her gaze meeting his. Her heart was pounding like a kettle drum by now. She shook her head.

"I don't know," she murmured. _That_ was a lie. "Yeah, I _do_ know... It's because you're my ex-boyfriend."

"Uh huh," he agreed. "So, you can understand how it feels for _me_ to have to see your current boyfriend here with you." His words were said in statement, fact, rather than as a question.

The redhead swallowed hard and lowered her gaze to the floor. She knew he had every right to feel the way he did. That was exactly the reason she'd been feeling so guilty the entire day. And yes, she had felt the same when Adam's girlfriend had called him when they'd been out to dinner not too long ago. Raising her head, she managed to squarely meet his eyes.

"I'm sorry," she said softly. "I knew all along this would be weird for you. I'm truly sorry I didn't at least warn you in advance."

He simply stared at her, but he had softened.

"If the shoe were on the other foot," the redhead went on, "I know I'd feel the same way you do."

This time, the tall blond man nodded.

"But can I ask you something?" Amy said. She was eyeing him almost expectantly, her body language now more relaxed.

"Of course."

She blinked as she kept the steady eye contact with him. She was burning with wonder at what he would say when she posed what was on her mind.

"Why did you break up with your girlfriend?"

Adam tried not to squirm at the question. He should have known she would ask, as he wasn't surprised the news of the breakup had reached her.

"Things just didn't work out," he said.

"I'm sorry," she said softly.

"It was just one of those things," he said. "I just didn't feel as strongly about her as she did about me, I guess. And when there's no passion for me, it's just not worth it." He kept his green orbs fixed on her, which strangely caused the redhead to feel slightly uneasy yet again. But she said nothing for moments.

"Come on," she said as she finally snapped out of it, "let's get out of this stupid closet."


	14. Chapter 14

_**A/N: Thanks to behindURlies for review the last chapter. :)**_

_The next week_

Amy was so distracted, as she'd been the entire week. She couldn't seem to clear her head ever since the Supershow, and her conversation with Adam in that musty supply closet.

What did it all mean? She knew from the start that it would be awkward. After all, what man wanted to see or even hear about his ex-girlfriend and whatever boyfriends she had since him? She knew men were quite territorial in a very primitive way.

The redhead wanted to talk to someone, a friend... A friend of the female persuasion was certainly what she needed right now. Trish was first on her list as always, but the blonde had grown a lot closer with Jeff since they'd returned. It seemed she was never as accessible to her anymore.

Amy sighed as she glanced over the arena hallway. She noticed Mickie and Chris talking softly nearby, standing close and intimately. The blond man kissed the brunette's lips quickly and then continued down the hallway, probably to his locker room.

Mickie stood there, watching her boyfriend with a tiny smile gracing her lips. She was almost mesmorized and suddenly realized someone was calling her name.

"Hey, Mickie!"

She turned her head in the direction of the voice. Her smile grew larger, and she waved at her friend.

"Hey, Amy."

The redhead hurried over to her, and the two women headed for the locker room.

"It looks like you and Chris have a great relationship," she said, a wistful sigh coming to her. It had once been that way between Adam and herself. Those days had been amazing, but they seemed nearly a lifetime away by now.

"Yeah," the small brunette said with a smile, "he's _so_ cool. I haven't been this happy in a long time. Chris is unlike any other man I've been with in the past." She stopped abruptly as she realized that her friend seemed troubled. Something was undoubtedly on Amy's mind, and she sensed that she needed to talk. "So... How is everything, Amy?"

The redhead looked at her unhappily, wondering if she was truly that transparent. Then again, she and Mickie had grown close during her last year or more with the WWE before she'd left. The younger woman had a definite knack for reading her very well. She sighed.

"Everything's... Well, not good," she admitted. "Last week, with my band coming to play the Supershow was just..."

"Weird?" Mickie finished for her.

Amy nodded.

"Yeah. I felt so guilty bringing Shane here, Mickie... It was just... wrong," she said, shaking her head. "I know it shouldn't be that way because he's my ex, but... well, I felt really bad about Adam."

"Well, you two have a lot of history together, so I can understand."

"Exactly," the redhead stated. "But it wasn't only that... It was as if I was doing him an injustice - like I was being disloyal to him, like-"

"Like you were cheating on him?"

Amy's gaze swung over at the brunette. If she weren't feeling so disjointed and upset, she would have chuckled and hugged Mickie. She absolutely adored the other diva's uncanny ability to read her mind and finish her thoughts.

"Yes," she whispered, distraught. "Isn't that just _too_ strange? We've been broken up a year now, and I still feel that way."

This time, Mickie didn't have an answer or retort for her. She simply eyed the older woman with sympathy and understanding.

"He... He actually confronted me about it."

"What? When?"

Amy ran a hand through her long red hair as she spoke.

"At the Supershow last week," she answered. "He pulled me into a supply closet and let me know he wasn't happy about Shane being there."

The shorter woman arched a brow at that bit of information.

"Wow. What did you say to him then?"

She bit her lip as she recalled the argument between them. It had been an awkward situation, to say the least.

"I... I told him how _I_ felt when his girlfriend called when we were out to dinner together."

Mickie gave a short little nod. It was very typical, and she wasn't at all surprised.

"There are obviously still lingering feelings between the two of you," she said. She was unknowingly echoing exactly what Trish had been saying for weeks.

Amy's gaze was on the floor beyond them at this point. She didn't quite know how to grasp onto what her friend had just said. At the same time, it was nothing she hadn't already heard before, only with somewhat different wording. It was something for her to definitely ponder. After all, she'd thought she had gotten over Adam... But _had_ she? Suddenly, she wasn't so sure. She sighed as she faced Mickie again.

"Maybe," she admitted.

The brunette studied her friend's face. There was such uncertaintly in her features, as though she doubted what she had just said. She guessed that, on some level, Amy didn't realize the exact feelings she held - or _still_ held - for her ex-boyfriend.

"Well, here's something for you to chew on," she put in. "Why did his relationship with his girlfriend end?"

"I already asked him," the redhead replied. "He said it just didn't work out."

Mickie shrugged at that.

"Obviously," she said. "That's usually the reason for a breakup. The question is _why_ didn't it work out?"

Amy stared into her friend's brown eyes and nodded. She'd asked herself that same thing time after time during the previous week.


	15. Chapter 15

**_A/N: Thanks to behindURlies and Vere for reviewing the last chapter. ;)_**

Amy woke up abruptly, with a sheen of sweat covering her body. She sat up in the hotel bed, covering her face with her hands. She couldn't shake off the remnants of her dream... and she wasn't sure she _wanted_ to, either.

Adam... Her dreams had been chock full of him for weeks now. In the various night visions, she'd seen events that had actually happened between the two of them. And then there were those dreams of things that maybe could happen in the future, depending on certain factors. Finally, there were those that just saw the two of them together vaguely, like holding hands as they walked along a beautiful beach.

The dream she'd just had was one of the 'vaguies,' as she'd begun to think of them. And it had been so nice. Not for the first time, Amy wondered just exactly it was that she was doing with her life... what she was looking for. She had always dreamed of playing in a band, and she was doing that. She enjoyed it, but she wasn't sure she was enjoying it _enough_. That was one of the reasons she had decided to return to wrestling. The other was that she honestly loved it and missed the competition and the fans.

And hell, why was she deluding herself? She knew the biggest reason she had returned was to be near _him_ again.

Running a hand through her messy red hair, Amy thought about what she should do. It was quite a difficult situation, and potentially could become a deja vu to the one she'd been in three years earlier.

She couldn't help but wonder, _Is fate trying to tell me something here_? She wished she knew for sure. Her cell phone suddenly started ringing, distracting her somewhat. A quick glimpse at the display told her it was Shane. She sighed and flipped the phone open.

"Hey," she said sleepily, "I just woke up."

"Oh, sorry - did I wake you?"

"No," Amy replied. "I had a dream, and that's pretty much what woke me up." She was sorry she said that the minute the words came out.

Shane asked, "Nightmare, huh?"

"No, nothing like that."

"Oh. What was it about?"

The redhead let out a breath softly enough that she knew it went unheard by her boyfriend. Then, "It was about you." She bit her lip at the lie, hating to do that. But she couldn't very well tell him the truth, that she'd been dreaming of her ex-boyfriend - the one she'd been with right before _him_.

She kept the conversation short, telling him she had to get up and shower. It was the truth, and she wanted to be out early enough so that she could go find Trish. At the same time, she really wasn't in the mood to talk to Shane right now. She supposed it was a little rotten of her, but it was how she felt.

She wondered where Adam was at that moment. _Probably on a flight_, she thought. After all, it was a Tuesday morning, and he was part of the SmackDown roster, which had its show tapings on that day.

The redhead moved quickly, taking care of her business. Although she'd gotten to talk to Mickie the other day, she really did want to speak with Trish. It would just be her lousy luck if she didn't catch the blonde before she left for her flight home to Toronto.

Foregoing putting on makeup, Amy gathered up all her belongings, slipping a pair of sunglasses over her eyes. With her hair still damp, she cast a quick final glance at the hotel room. Satisfied that she'd left nothing behind, she closed the door as she slipped out into the hallway.

From just a little farther down the hall, she could see Mickie and Chris also leaving their room. She raised a hand to wave, and they smiled and waved back. After that, the redhead turned toward the elevators, and that was when she spotted Trish.

"Trish! Wait up!" she called.

The petite blonde stopped just on the stairs, turning her way.

"Oh, hey, Amy."

"Can you come back up? I really need to talk to you."

Without replying, Trish climbed the few stairs she'd walked down and approached her. She didn't have a wheeled suitcase like Amy this week, having instead opted for an over the shoulder. She came to stand beside her friend by the elevators.

"Sorry I've been a little scarce lately," the blonde apologized. "It's just..."

"I know," Amy said. Trish and Jeff had grown a whole lot closer since her return to the WWE, and they were now dating. "It's always like that in the beginning of a new relationship."

"Yeah." The Canadian's pretty face just about completely lit up as she beamed. Her brown eyes took on a somewhat faraway look, but then she snapped back to reality. "So, what's up? You seem almost... well, _desperate_ to talk about something."

An elevator suddenly arrived, and the two women stepped into it. They were the only ones there. Amy sighed.

"Well, I talked to Mickie about this a bit the other day." She closed her eyes for a moment beneath the dark shades she wore, then decided to just blurt it out. "Trish... I think I might still be in love with Adam."


	16. Chapter 16

_**A/N: Thanks to behindURlies for the last review! :)**_

_Night of No Way Out, after the pay-per-view_

"Knock, knock!" Phil called, his arm around the shoulders of Melina as they stood in the doorway of Adam's hotel room.

The tall blond man smirked at the unique couple, then gestured for them to enter.

"Movie night, just like planned," the straightedger declared. He gestured to his girlfriend, who held a DVD in each hand.

"What have we got here?" the World Heavyweight Champion queried. He took the two movies from Melina and glanced over the boxes.

"_Night of the Living Dead_ and _White Oleander_?" He cast Phil a look. "I know you chose this - it _reeks_ of you. But this girly film... Why do you insist on doing this to us guys, Melina?"

She snatched the _White Oleander_ DVD back from him.

"It's not a 'girly' film, Adam. It's horror and it's great." She eyed him with amusement as he glanced back to his fellow tattooed superstar, who nodded.

"She's right, buddy... It's actually a pretty awesome movie."

"Oh." Adam gave up and ran a hand through his shoulder-length blond curls. And why would a girly movie really upset him, anyway? Lord knew, he'd seen more than enough of those with Rebecca in the few months they'd been together. He'd never really complained.

There was a new knock at the door. As Phil and Melina began setting up the DVD player, the Canadian went to answer.

"Hey, man," Alvin said with a smile. He slapped Adam's hand in a friendly manner and was carrying a bag of junk food for the get-together. He handed it to the taller man. "Here you go. So, what's playin' for tonight?"

"Go check it out for yourself," Adam said, hooking a thumb over his shoulder toward the other two.

Before he could shut the door, two more people arrived. He heard Al complaining about the lack of an action movie when Trish and Jeff suddenly appeared in the doorway.

"Bet you know why we're here," the rainbow-haired man said cheerily.

"I bet I do."

"You know me, Adam," Trish quipped. "I never was one to miss movie night." She smiled appreciatively as the tall blond man stepped aside to let them in.

As the little blonde went to stand near Melina, the two women suddenly launched into a conversation. Adam stayed by the door. He knew more people would show up, but he really only cared about one in particular, and the truth was, he had no idea if she would appear.

--

"Come on, Red," Chris said with frustration. "I swear, you're not gonna be imposing on us!"

Amy stared up at Jericho and Mickie from her seated position on her hotel room bed. Stubbornly, she crossed her arms over her chest and shook her head.

"Nonsense. The last thing I want is to be a third wheel while you two are out on a date!" she protested.

Chris and Mickie stared at her, then exchanged glances. The brunette rolled her eyes in exasperation as she broke away from her boyfriend to come over and sit beside her friend.

"Amy, don't even think that way. You could never be a third wheel. We just want you to come and hang out with us for awhile." She put her arm around the redhead as she continued. "You've pretty much just been moping for awhile, and we want you to have some fun, that's all."

Amy met her warm brown eyes before looking over at Chris, who smiled. She figured she was probably being silly, but she hated tagging along on other people's dates! And although she had a boyfriend, such a thing made her feel so incredibly alone.

"I don't know, Mickie."

"Well, I _do_," the brunette replied. "And guess what? I'm _not_ giving you a choice."

The redhead stared at her with surprise.

"You _are_ coming with us, and I'm _not_ taking no for an answer, Amy." Mickie leapt off the edge of the bed to stand, and she tugged the other woman's hand, pulling her up. "Put on a pair of shoes," she ordered.

Chris stood by with an amused expression on his face. He could hardly keep from snickering as his girlfriend barked orders at their friend, who was by now probably fearing they would make her their sex slave.

"Okay, okay," Amy replied in surrender. "You win, Mickie!" She put her hands up in a retreating fashion as she located a pair of worn sneakers near the bed. Quickly, she slipped them on her feet and barely had a chance to grab her purse as the brunette steered her toward the door.

--

"Jeez, Al, can't you wait?" Phil cracked as he eyed the other man. Alvin had already dug into a bag of pretzels he'd brought over, and they hadn't even put a movie on yet.

"Here's your Pepsi." Jeff handed the former ECW Champion a cup of the cola.

"Thanks," the straightedge man said.

Adam looked up as another series of knocks sounded at the hotel room door. That had to finally be Chris and Mickie. He rose and went to let them in.

"Hello there!" the perky brunette sang. "We came bearing a gift, shall we say." She pulled someone who was at her left directly into his view. And he found himself gazing into Amy's beautiful hazel eyes.

"Hi, Adam," she said. She appeared strangely shy or embarrassed.

"Hey, Amy."

As they all stepped over the threshold, the tall blond man realized Mickie was mouthing something to him.

"_You're welcome!_"

He grinned. Things were certainly looking up.


	17. Chapter 17

Amy could barely pay attention to the movie. She was too wrapped up in her thoughts, and she was conflicted. She kept shifting her gaze from the TV to the couples in the room.

Mickie and Chris... They looked so comfortable together as they snuggled on the hotel room bed on one side, leaning against the wall.

Then there was Melina and Phil. They were a bit of an odd couple, with not very much in common, but they were happy with their differences. Phil tended to be a 'whisperer,' as he was seemingly constantly talking in a hushed voice to his girlfriend throughout the movie. It amazed the redhead that no one seemed to be bothered by this, and Melina kept smiling at him - beaming, even. They were holding hands as they lay on their stomachs beside one another.

Next, there was Trish and Jeff, the newest couple around. They were seated on the floor in front of the bed. A bit earlier, Jeff had been laying down with his head in the little blonde's lap. Now, however, he was sitting up and the two of them were making out like crazy, just... sucking face.

Get a _room_! Amy thought humorously, rolling her eyes as she moved her gaze off of them. Then, in another easy chair near the window was Alvin. His arms were crossed over his chest, his head thrown back, and he was sound asleep. She smiled.

When she shifted her eyes again, her line of vision took in Adam, who was sitting by himself at the small table over in the corner nearest the windows. He had an elbow propped on the table, his head resting in a bored manner on the side of his fist. He yawned, looking most disinterested in movie night, which he never did.

The redhead stretched out on the easy chair on which she was sitting. She kept her gaze on her former boyfriend, and her mind began to wander. Why had they broken up a year earlier? She hadn't wondered about that before, not really. But now that she thought about it, it seemed she'd acted quite rashly - just as she always tended to do. She thought they had drifted apart thanks to her becoming more and more involved with her band after she had left the WWE. What a ridiculous reason she'd given him!

As Amy kept staring at Adam, a startling realization suddenly struck her... It had never even occurred to her before - at least not on a conscious level. She'd had a fear when it came to being in a relationship with the tall blond Canadian. He'd been married twice, divorced twice. She played off that she really wasn't a marriage-type of girl, and in fact had even told Adam that when they were dating. But in reality, that was far from the truth. She did want to get married someday, probably more than anything. She'd been scared - scared that after two failed marriages, he wouldn't want to go down that road again. And really, who could blame him?

She became startled all of a sudden as Adam suddenly turned his head in her direction. She nearly blushed as she realized he'd caught her staring at him. It was silly how she could feel so uncomfortable when it came to him... He'd seen her naked so many times in the two years they'd been together, been inside of her countless times. Hell, he'd even eaten whipped cream off of her once or twice! It wasn't as though she really had any secrets from him.

The redhead shook all those thoughts from her head as she noticed Adam was gesturing to her. With a slight tilt of his head, he raised a hand, waving toward her. He hooked a thumb in the direction of the door, and she instantly knew what he was silently asking.

_Do you want to get out of here_?

She arched an eyebrow and lightly nodded. What the hell... It wasn't like she was paying any attention to _Night of the Living Dead_, anyway. She pushed up from the cozy chair and started for the door, glancing behind her to see Adam following. The three couples with them didn't say anything. She noticed Chris and Mickie as well as Phil and Melina glancing curiously at them. Trish and Jeff, however, were still in the middle of a makeout session, one typical of a brand new couple...

Amy missed that. She could recall plenty of nights like that with Adam. Those had been great times... And she had to admit, they'd been great even when he'd been married and they had just started seeing each other.

The Canadian followed her out of the hotel room and into the hallway. Once there, he sighed.

"Thank God," he murmured. "I thought I was about to lose my mind."

"Why?" the redhead asked, curious. She looked up at him with her head cocked. "All those couples getting to you?"

"Well, yeah, that too," he said. "But between us, I was _so_ bored! I know that movie's a classic in horror, but... Well, I couldn't take it anymore."

"Don't let Phil hear you say that!" She laughed.

The blond man snickered softly, shaking his head. When his laughter subsided, he eyed her evenly, his head cocked.

"You want to... get out of here for a bit? Go for a walk, maybe?"

Amy kept her gaze locked on his green eyes.

"Oh, God, _yes_!"

"Great," he said with a small smile, "it'll be good to get out of here and get some air!"

The two ignored the elevator, opting to take the stairs instead. Soon enough, they were in the lobby and out the double automatic doors. Adam made a big production of spreading his arms wide once they were outside, closing his eyes as he inhaled a deep breath, then let it out.

The redhead laughed. She had really missed spending time with him like this.

"Hey, you know what? I saw an ice cream place around the corner from here earlier," he said. "How about we go get some - my treat?"

Amy smiled at him, for some reason unable to do much else. She nodded.

"Okay... I haven't had an ice cream cone in like forever now," she said. "Sounds good to me."


	18. Chapter 18

They sat at a table in the _Hershey's_ ice cream place with peanut butter-chocolate and rocky road cones respectively. Adam fixed his gaze on his ex-girlfriend as they ate and talked, and he was again reminded of one very clear fact...

He was still in love with her. All the feelings he'd always had for her had rushed back to him in a hurry. Tonight, they were probably even more pronounced.

Moments later, he checked his watch, his brows raising at the time.

"Wow, it's late... I bet everyone went back to their rooms by now."

Amy glanced at her own watch.

"Unless they started on _White Oleander_."

"Nah... Five bucks says Melina dragged Phil back to their room," he said with a wink. "I'd bet on it."

She laughed and reached for a napkin in the dispenser on one side of the table. Adam just so happened to be reaching over there at the same time, and his hand brushed hers. Amy couldn't deny the jolt of electricity she felt at the touch.

--

Mickie suddenly opened her eyes, rousing lightly to realized she'd fallen asleep on Chris' shoulder. She sat up, bleary-eyed, and realized her boyfriend was still dozing.

"Chris," she whispered, shaking him lightly, "wake up!"

As the blond man opened his eyes abruptly, disoriented, the brunette glanced around the hotel room. Alvin was still slumped in the easy chair to their right, over by the window. As she crawled over to the foot of the bed, she saw that Trish and Jeff had gone, but Melina and Phil were slumped together on the floor. Adam and Amy were no longer in the room, and the movie had ended, the stark blue DVD screen showing on the TV.

"Wha...? Mickie? What time is it?"

The young woman took a quick glance at her watch. She nearly did a double-take.

"Wow, it's almost two-thirty," she replied in a whisper.

Chris yawned and rubbed at his eyes.

"Well, I'm wiped," he said as he started to get off the bed. "Time to hit the sheets, juniorette."

Mickie smiled and raised a finger to her lips to shush him. That was when he realized they weren't alone.

"Think we should wake Sleeping Beauty over there?" he asked, a short nod of his head gesturing in Al's direction.

"Nah, let him sleep," the little brunette insisted. "And be careful - Phil and Melina are asleep at the foot of the bed." She _had_ to tell him that, since, knowing him, he might have ended up tripping over the couple.

"Jeff and Trish must be getting it on," the short-haired blond quipped with amusement.

His girlfriend swatted him in the chest for his troubles. He couldn't help letting out an exclamation as his hand flew up to the area. Damn, but Mickie was a lot stronger than she looked!

"Hey, what happened to Amy and Adam?" he wondered aloud as they slipped out of the room.

"Good question. I was wondering that myself."

--

"Yikes!" Amy exclaimed as she noticed the time on the clock on the wall. "It's seriously late. _How_ long have we been here?"

Adam glanced in the direction of where she'd just looked and was surprised. Two twenty-three in the morning. Awhile after their ice cream cones and subsequent walk, they'd stopped at the all-night cafe and had gotten some hot toddies. The time had just about flown by, but then, it always _had_ seemed to do that when he was with Amy. And how very precious their time was when it was spent together.

"No wonder I'm so tired," he said. He _was_, but sleeping didn't matter mcuh when he was in the company of the beautiful redhead.

"I guess we ought to head back," Amy said, a small hint of reluctance in her voice. She had really been enjoying herself. It almost felt like old times. She wondered if their freinds had even cared that they'd picked up and left in the middle of the movie. Well, the way she figured it, there was most likely a little gossip going on because of their departure, and certainly due to the length of time they'd spent away.

The tall blond man rose from his chair, yawning and stretching. He gestured to her with one hand as he came toward her, reaching out, and she smiled and accepted it.

A rush of familiar warmth flooded through Amy as he helped her out of her seat. Smiling, she felt as though she were on a second wind of adrenaline - and could not take her eyes off of him.

As they exited the cafe, Adam glanced sideways at her.

"So... What are you doing during the week?" he asked.

"The band's got some gigs back in Atlanta," Amy replied matter-of-factly. "Me and the guys are playing every day there isn't a houseshow this week. Shane and I even got a couple of new songs done recently."

Adam didn't respond. It hurt, it really hurt for him to hear her talk about her band, but more especially Shane Morton. God, that man was one lucky bastard. And what had _he_ ever done to deserve this goddess who was walking beside him? He was so bitter about it, and yet, it wasn't as though it were Shane Morton's fault. He swallowed hard, wanting badly to break the sudden silence that was between them. And damn it, he couldn't think of anything to say.

"Oh." By now, they were just coming to the hotel's automatic double doors. Although Adam had relished spending all this time with her, all of a sudden, he couldn't wait to be alone.

He walked her back to her room, the hallway silent. As Amy dug her card key out of her bag, the blond man kept his gaze on her back.

She turned, a small smile on her face as she got the door open.

"Well, it was fun. Goodnight, Adam."

He forced a smile as he gazed into her eyes.

"Night, Ames," he said.

He left her then, and the redhead beat herself up mentally. How could she have slipped up and mentioned Shane again? She stood with her back pressed to the door, agonizing.


	19. Chapter 19

_**A/N: Thanks to caeubona for reviewing the last chapter! :) Actually, the last two. ;) As for the change of Chapter 17, I realized I had to do that because 18 had Adam and Amy saying goodnight yet again. Grr... That's what happens when you have a gap in chapters! But anyhow, it worked, and I hope this new chapter is enjoyable. :)**_

_Three days later_

Amy sat sulkingly on the low stage of the _White Pony_ club. She was slated to play a gig that night, just as she had the one prior, yet she couldn't clear her head.

She couldn't get her mind off of Adam, and the time they'd spent together a couple of nights before. Nothing had happened, of course, but that didn't mean anything. She'd had the same situation last night, too - her former boyfriend had been weighing heavily on her mind. It had been a miracle she'd been able to sing with The Luchagors, what with how distracted she'd felt.

"All set for the show?" An arm wrapped around her waist, and she looked up to her left into Shane's smiling face.

"Uh... yeah, I guess." She quickly looked away, feeling awkward despite the fact that she and Morton had been dating for the last few months. Quickly, she broke away from him and stepped over to another side of the stage.

"Hey, Amy," he called as he followed her. "Is anything wrong?"

"Huh?" She cast him a nervous glance, wishing she was somewhere else at that moment.

"I dunno," the guitar player said. "You've just been so..." He paused, searching for the right choice of words. "Not yourself lately. Something bothering you?"

_Yeah_, she thought furiously, _I can't get my ex out of my mind_. But then, she realized that it wasn't exactly "bothering" her. Aloud, she said, "No." She forced a smile for his benefit, hating the fact that she was sort of lying. "I'm fine."

The show started about fifteen minutes later. Amy wasn't exactly in top form as her mind was still so preoccupied, but things were never perfect at a live show. She didn't slip up with lyrics once, but she knew her vocals could stand a tune-up.

Their set was to be forty-five minutes long. She couldn't wait for it to be over, which was a rarity, as she had always had a blast playing live with The Luchagors. But when she saw _him_ in the audience, things slowly fell apart.

"You guys are great!" Amy said into her microphone. "We're gonna do an older song for you, a cover by..." Her voice trailed off as she thought she was going crazy. She'd spotted the shoulder-length blond hair, the sharply handsome profile... Adam was _here_, at her show? She craned her neck, trying to get a better look at the man, but it suddenly seemed he had disappeared.

The crowd had grown eerily silent. The redhead realized her bandmates were all staring at her. It suddenly dawned on her that she'd been in the middle of an announcement of the next song in their set, and she'd paused.

"Err... So, yeah. This one's a favorite by The Ramones." With that, The Luchagors launched into "I Wanna Be Sedated." Amy felt so flustered, but she shook it off as she sang. But she couldn't help but wonder... Had she only _imagined_ he was there?

Throughout the rest of the concert, she didn't see him. It was becoming clearer and clearer to her that he had only been a figment of her imagination. He wasn't really there after all. He was on her mind a whole lot, to the point of distraction. Amy knew she needed to get hold of herself, but something else also struck her with startling clarity.

When the set came to an end, she dropped the mic into its stand and stepped off the stage. She felt as though she needed a good, stiff drink. She didn't even notice Shane sidling up to her.

"A shot of tequila, please," she told the bartender. Then, she nearly jumped at the feel of a hand on her shoulder and whirled around.

"Hey, Amy." Shane smiled easily as he put up his hands. She sure seemed nervous tonight, and he wondered about that. "Are you okay?"

She faced him for a beat before placing some bills on the counter for the bartender, who'd just handed her the tequila.

"No, not really, Shane," she admitted. She raised the shot glass, downing the liquor in a hurry. She felt it burn its way down her throat and to her stomach, but didn't quite feel the real effects just yet. "We need to talk."

"Sure," he said with a smile. He seemed absolutely guileless as he reached for her left hand.

She shook her head, the impulsiveness in her taking over. She removed her hand from his grasp and looked him straight in the eye.

"You're a nice guy and all that, Shane, but... Well, I'm not in love with you. And I hate to hurt you, but I'm breaking up with you."


	20. Chapter 20

**_A/N: Thanks to caeubona for reviewing the last chapter! :)_**

Adam was still a bit jetlagged as he stepped into the arena, his wheeled suitcase in tow. The SmackDown and ECW rosters were in the United Kingdom for some tapings, yet the Canadian had a hard time focusing on that. Instead, his mind was on Amy and their time spent together the previous week.

"Adam!"

He turned around at the sound of the voice to see Phil entering the building from a slight distance behind him. The dark-haired man glanced both ways, as though crossing a busy street, and rushed forward.

"Hey, Phil."

"Hey, what happened to you last week?" the Straightedger asked. "You know, our movie night?"

"Oh. I stepped out for some air."

"You liar... You didn't 'step out' alone. What was that all about?"

The tall blond man stared at his friend for a moment.

"Jeez, Phil, dating a woman who loves to gossip has really rubbed off on you, huh?" he cracked.

"Shut up. So, are you gonna indulge me with the juicy details?" his friend asked. His eyes were nearly as wide as saucers by now.

Adam wasn't really amused. It wasn't that it was Phil's fault, or that he was annoyed by his prying, but the fact remained that Amy was off-limits to him. They were broken up, she was with another guy, and that was that. It sucked, but it was reality.

"Why don't you just call Melina and ask _her_?" Adam suggested. "I'm sure she's gotten all the juicy details from Trish or Mickie by now."

"Aw, c'mon, man... I'm not trying to piss you off or anything," the other man explained. "Just trying to have a little fun."

"Yeah? Well, newsflash - my life isn't here for your own personal amusement." The Canadian felt bad as soon as the words left his mouth. "Sorry, Phil... I'm just not in a good mood."

"I can _see_ that."

The two friends walked in silence for a moment. Then, the dark-haired man cleared his throat and spoke up again first.

"I'm sorry, dude. I was just yanking your chain. I get why you don't wanna talk about it."

Adam turned to stare at him.

"You do?"

"Sure... She's your ex and you've still got it bad for her," he said. "But she's with somebody else now."

The blond man looked down at the floor. It was bad enough hearing those words in his head, in his thoughts, but hearing it verbalized was at least tenfold worse. He nodded.

"Yeah... That's exactly it."

Phil eyed him silently for a beat. He felt bad for his friend. After a moment, he gave him a friendly smack on the shoulder.

"Hang in there, man."

--

Amy sat alone in her living room in her Atlanta condo, reflecting over what she'd done a couple of days earlier. She'd really gone and done it. It had been in her mind for a few weeks at that point, but she hadn't actually considered doing anything right then and there. As usual, she had acted impulsively, acting before she'd thought things through. She didn't regret her decision, but she wished she'd done it in a more private place.

Shane had confronted her loudly, demanding to know the meaning of it. And she'd had no choice but to tell him the truth... And the truth was that she was no longer in love with him. But beyond that, she didn't know if she'd _ever_ actually loved him. It had sounded harsh, callous, brittle and cruel... but it was the truth.

Amy bit her lip as she gazed steadily at the phone on the nearby end table. She wanted in the worst way to call him. 'Him' certainly did not mean Shane, as her newest ex was furious with her - so furious, in fact, that the future of The Luchagors was now uncertain.

She took a deep, full breath, exhaling it slowly as she edged closer to the phone. She picked up the receiver and quickly dialed a number she'd known by heart for years now. It started to ring on the other end.

"Hello?"

"Hello... Trish, it's me."

"Oh, hi, Amy!" the blonde woman cheerily said. "How are you?"

"I'm..." The redhead paused for a beat. "... Well, I'm not really sure how to answer that question right now."

"Oh, no... What's happened?"

Amy sighed.

"You mean aside from the fact that I broke up with my boyfriend?"

She heard Trish gasp on the other end.

"What?" she cried. "You did?"

"Yup," the redhead answered. "Two days ago, to be exact. It was anything but pretty."

"What happened?"

Amy explained the scene in the club, and the blonde was vocal in her reaction.

"I can't _believe_ you broke up with him during one of your shows!" she exclaimed. "No wonder he was so pissed."

"Yeah... I know." And she didn't say so, but Amy knew she deserved Shane's wrath. She'd timed it all wrong. But she had to be true to her heart - and Shane Morton certainly hadn't been in it.

"So... Have you told Adam yet?" Trish suddenly inquired.

"No."

"Okay."

"Trish, what are you getting at?" she demanded.

"Nothing," the blonde woman replied. "I was just wondering."

"Well, he'll know soon enough."

The two women spoke a few minutes longer until Amy decided she had to go. After saying goodbye to Trish - whom she would see again the next day at the houseshow - the redhead sighed and decided to take her little dog, MacKenzie, for a walk.


	21. Chapter 21

**_A/N: Thanks to WWEchica for reviewing the last chapter! :)_**

_Several days later_

Amy entered the large building that housed WWE Headquarters in Stamford, Connecticut. She hadn't been there in years, but she could easily recall the interior of the place.

As she walked down the marble-floored corridor, she wondered why she had been summoned here. A few days earlier, she had received the call. It was something to do with an idea Creative had for her.

The redhead turned the corner at the end of the hallway, spotting the room she was seeking. Knocking lightly with the knuckles of her right hand, she awaited a response, getting an immediate one.

"Come in," a voice called.

She pushed open the door and walked in, met by a very pregnant and smiling Stephanie McMahon. The brunette gingerly rose from her chair to come out from behind her large maple desk.

"Hello, Amy! Good of you to come. It's great to have you back with us."

"I'm very glad to _be_ back," she replied with a grateful smile. She eyed the other woman, whom she knew was quite happy in her life. After dating Paul Levesque for three years, Stephanie had finally wisened up and dumped him when she had gotten a glimpse of the man's true colors. A couple of years later, she had married Sean O'Haire, pro-wrestler, martial artist and professional stuntman. The redhead couldn't recall seeing the woman happier.

She took a seat on the couch near Stephanie's desk, and the brunette lowered herself on the other side. At eight months into her pregnancy, she required a bit of assistance, which Amy gladly offered her.

"Thanks," the youngest McMahon said with a grateful smile. She folded her hands and faced the other woman. "Well, as you know, I called this meeting with you about an idea we've had for you."

Amy nodded.

"I know we haven't had you in a proper storyline since you've been back with us. I'm sorry for that." Stephanie eyed her squarely, wanting to gauge her reaction when she sprang the news on her. "Here's what my team has been proposing... We reunite Lita with Edge."

The redhead parted her lips in shock, and it was as though all the air had left her body. She couldn't even seem to draw in a breath. She wasn't exactly sure of how to react. The one and only thing she knew for certain was that the reason she had quit in the first place was due to the horrible, relentless fashion with which the crowds had treated her. And she knew without question that she didn't want to go through _that_ again.

"Now, Amy... I know you had a rough go after Matt Hardy told the entire internet community about your personal business," Stephanie said, as though reading her mind. "But I assure you - things will be different this time." The brunette's face brightened as she elaborated. "The idea is to have Edge cheating on Vickie Guerrero with Lita." She held up a hand in protest as she sensed the other woman was about to decline the idea. "Wait - hear me out... The fans absolutely _despise_ Vickie. I mean, they _really_ hate her character, and they hate that Edge is with _her_. Before you came back, we were toying with the idea, but we were considering Maryse as the girl Edge would be secretly romancing."

The redhead arched a brow, feeling a frown coming at the sound of that idea. She still couldn't even swallow the Edge and Vickie idea, which was pretty ludicrous to her. It seemed that after she left, the company had wanted a 'Rated R Couple,' part two. And as far as she was concerned, that wasn't possible. They could never recreate or recapture the magic she and Adam had had as the couple of Edge and Lita.

Taking all of that into consideration enabled Amy to make up her mind. She faced the brunette and spoke.

"I'd like to think it over," she said.

Stephanie nodded, a tiny trace of a smile coming to her face. Although it wasn't a definite, positive answer, she took that to be a good sign.

"Absolutely."

A moment later, after they shook on it, the redhead helped the brunette to her feet again.

"Thank you, and thanks for coming, Amy."

Amy was about to leave when she turned back to face the Head and Vice-President of the WWE Creative Team.

"Oh, and by the way... Does Adam know anything about this?" she asked.

The brunette shook her head.

"Not yet, but we're planning on telling him soon - as soon as we get your definite answer." She smiled.

The redhead nodded, then said goodbye and left. Somehow, she knew that if she didn't give Stephanie a positive answer soon, Adam would never be told of the idea.

As she was on her flight back home - she wouldn't have to fly anywhere for a show in a couple more days - she toyed with the idea of calling him. They'd had such a great time the last time they'd seen each other, and there was no use in denying it to herself. On top of that, there was no longer a reason to deny it, since she had broken it off with Shane. What would he say? How would he react if and when she told Adam the truth?

She thought about her most recent phone conversation with Trish. The blonde had asked her what she was waiting for. The truth was, Amy missed Adam. She truly missed the friendship they'd shared prior to becoming a couple. However, she also missed the blond man as a boyfriend as well. Any moment as friends they'd had since breaking up was pretty awkward... but that was because it was difficult to be friends with someone you loved when they were with another. She would never forget the feelings she'd had when they'd gone to dinner after Armageddon and his girlfriend had called.

_Wait a minute_! she thought. _What am I talking about_? She reminded herself that Adam was single again, just like she now was... and other thoughts that had just passed through her head dawned back to her.

She loved him... She _still_ loved him.

Thinking back to that Valentine's Day the year earlier was enough to bring tears to her eyes. She had hurt the blond man more than she could even imagine. How she'd been so easily able to do so was now a mystery to her.

She needed to talk to him, all right... but not over the phone - in person. Amy was determined to do just that the very next time such a chance presented itself.


	22. Chapter 22

**_A/N: Thanks to caeubona and SpunkySouthernAngel for reviewing the last chapter. :) Hope you like this new installment!_**

_One week later_

It seemed ridiculous, but Amy scowled and felt... strange everytime she watched SmackDown these days. She had been friends with Vickie Guerrero and her late husband, Eddy. It felt very weird to be watching the woman kissing Adam, and so wrong. She knew it was only a storyline, and the blond man barely ever mentioned it to her, but it just rubbed her the wrong way - completely.

She hadn't seen or even spoken to Adam in little more than a week. The truth was, Amy was a bit scared of some of the self-awareness that had hit her so recently, and she wasn't exactly sure what she would do about it. As far as she was concerned, she had fucked up in a big way more than a year earlier. It sucked, but it was her own fault.

However, one thing rang very clear as she continued to watch SmackDown. She bit her lip as the feeling overtook her, and slowly, she reached over to the coffee table for her cell phone.

With her gaze still trained on the TV, she dialed a number. A few seconds later, she felt MacKenzie at her feet as it rang on the other end and reached down to pet her.

"Hello, Stephanie? It's Amy. I've made my decision."

*

Adam was working a houseshow, as he did every weekend with the blue roster. However, he rose an eyebrow when a stagehand approached him in the arena hallway, telling him Shane McMahon needed to speak to him.

The blond man wracked his brain, trying to think of any reason he could possibly be in trouble. There was nothing that sprang to mind, so he shrugged it off. He was a model employee, for the most part.

Although Shane was currently only working behind the scenes, he'd been traveling with the shows over the last year or so. The elder McMahon offspring rotated between them, spending a few weeks with RAW, then a few with SmackDown and ECW. Normally, Stephanie would have been traveling with the latter rosters, but being pregnant, her schedule was now reduced.

Finally, he reached the room Shane was using as his office for the night. The door was several inches ajar, and he rapped on it, getting the dark-haired man's attention as he looked up from his laptop.

"Hi, Shane. You wanted to see me?"

"Hey there, Adam... Come on in," the other man replied with a small smile.

The tall blond man took a seat near Shane's desk and wondered again what this was all about. He decided to ask.

"So, what's up? I'm not in any trouble, am I?"

The dark-haired man laughed and shook his head.

"No, of course not," he said. "This concerns your storyline, nothing more."

"Oh, good," came the reply. Adam found himself even more curious. What exactly did the McMahons have in mind for his storyline? He had some amount of fun with it, but at the same time, he felt it was getting a bit odd.

"I've already spoken to Vickie," Shane said, "but I wanted to get each of you separately. See, my sister had the idea of bringing a diva into the mix... Edge will be found out to be cheating on Vickie with her."

The Canadian arched a brow, definitely interested in this bit of news. He liked the idea of that. It would certainly get his character more over with the whole Rated R Superstar schtick.

"Yeah?" he asked, a tiny smile touching his lips. At the same time, it probably wouldn't work that great, since he knew there could never be another Rated R Couple if Amy wasn't involved. "Who's the diva she has in mind?"

Upon posing that question, the blond man cast through his mind for a list of possible candidates. The SmackDown roster had a few divas, most of them pretty hot, but not all of them were playing heels. There was Victoria, who was cool, but she tended to work alone. There was Cherry, who was cute but had a sort of innocent gimmick, which canceled her out. There was Maryse, who would definitely fit the role to a T, as she was sultry and sexy. Then, on ECW, there were Lena Yada and Layla, whom he figured could also play the role decently. But when considering all of those women, he knew who would most fit. He was convinced it was Maryse.

"Why, it's Lita, of course," Shane said.

Adam's head instantly snapped up at that statement. He felt as though his heart skipped a beat but then began beating faster - much faster.

"What? Lita? Really?" All of a sudden, his mouth was dry.

"Yes. Amy is switching rosters next week."


	23. Chapter 23

_**A/N: Thanks to cauebona for the last review! ;)**_

_WrestleMania 24 weekend_

Amy turned her head sharply in the direction of her cell phone as it started ringing. She was just getting off the plane and boarding the gate into the airport, so she couldn't exactly get to the device in a hurry.

Reaching into her purse, she snatched up the phone. A quick glance at its display told her Trish was calling. She flipped it open and said hello to her friend.

"Hi, Amy," the blonde greeted. She launched right into her reason for calling. "Are all these rumors about you true?"

The redhead arched a brow.

"What rumors?"

Trish gave a little impatient sigh.

"The rumors about you leaving RAW to move to SmackDown!"

"Oh... Yeah, Trish... They are."

The Canadian gasped on the other end of the line.

"Are you crazy? What about the Women's Championship?"

"No, I'm not crazy," Amy replied, "and yeah, I know I'll be sacrificing my chance of getting the title again, but I've been Women's Champion four times already. Besides, I don't need the gold to prove myself."

"I know, and I feel the same way about myself."

The redhead bit her lip at that statement, because she felt damn certain that wasn't completely accurate. She knew how competitive Trish was, and how very much the title meant to her. She was sure the blonde was only _saying_ that.

"But Amy, what is there for you there? They don't have much of a women's division," Trish pointed out.

"There are a few who are good. There's Cherry, McCool and Lisa Marie," she countered. She couldn't help but roll her eyes. She was positive Trish just wanted her to stay on RAW so they would be on the same show. Before the blonde could say more, she went on. "Look, I'm trying to go through the airport now. It's a little difficult thanks to being on the phone."

"Oh. Sorry," Trish murmured.

Amy felt badly for being a bit curt with her friend.

"Trish... we'll talk more soon. I promise. Okay?" she said. "I'll be at the arena soon."

"Okay."

They ended the conversation with goodbyes, and the redhead hurried through the airport to leave. She felt a little overly anxious and couldn't help but wonder what would be in store for her when she made it to the arena.

*

"Hey, Adam."

The tall blond man cast a look over his shoulder at the voice. He smiled.

"Hi, Trish. So, you've got a title match with Beth, huh?"

"Yeah, that I do," the blonde said with a smile and a short nod. She clapped her hands together as though for emphasis. "Hey, you've heard the news about Amy, right?"

The tall Canadian faced her fully.

"You mean about SmackDown?" A smile crossed his face. He just couldn't help it. "Of course."

Trish arched a brow questioningly, as she wondered about his positive reaction. It hadn't quite been what she'd expected. Amy was her best friend, and she was concerned. Of course, she knew Adam cared deeply for her as well, so she decided to dive right in.

"I'm surprised at you, Adam."

"Huh?" He stared at Trish, perplexed. She was staring at him with dissatisfaction, hands on her hips. "I'm not sure I'm following you."

"You care about Amy, don't you?" she asked.

"Of course I do."

"Well then? How can you think it a good career move for her to leave RAW and go to SmackDown? She won't have much competition... There's _no_ women's title there."

"Trish," the tall blond man cut in, "you don't know what she's going to be doing on SmackDown, do you?"

"I assumed wrestling."

"Well, I'm sure she will be," he said. "But the main purpose for it is that she's going to be in my storyline."

The petite blonde gave him a strange look.

"She is? With you and Vickie?"

"Yes, exactly... Lita is going to make a comeback - or have a reunion with Edge, if you will," he said.

Trish frowned but cocked her head as she eyed her friend.

"Really? You mean she's going to be the 'other woman' in that whole angle?" she asked.

"Yeah, apparently so," Adam answered. "Stephanie called her to a meeting in Stamford a couple of weeks back, and I only just found out about it recently."

The tiny blonde appeared to be thoughtfully absorbing all of this news. She wasn't exactly certain of what to say, but she had a few ideas in her head. She wondered why Amy hadn't said anything to her. It was a bit odd, though, even considering the past onscreen angle the two had done, while they'd been a couple of off-screen as well. There had to be some sort of agenda... She just wondered _whose_ as she raised her eyes back to her fellow Canadian. But she knew from what he'd just said that it hadn't been _his_ idea.

"Oh. Interesting," she said in a soft tone. She really didn't know what else to say, so she decided to make up some excuse to leave. "Well - good luck with that... Oh, and in your match tonight!" She knew Adam was set to face The Undertaker. "I've got to find Beth for some last-minute prepping. So, see you later."

"Sure thing," the blond man said with a smile.

As Trish quickened her steps to return to the women's locker room, she made a mental note - she would take Amy up on her word from their earlier phone conversation and talk more about it.


	24. Chapter 24

**_A/N: Thanks to aresgirl and caeubona for the last pair of reviews. :) Hope you enjoy this new chapter!_**

Adam looked up at the sound of a knock on his locker room door. He suspected it was most likely Vickie Guerrero, his onscreen love interest, but got a surprise when he opened the door.

"Amy..."

"Hey, Adam." The redhead smiled and tried her best not to appear nervous. She could do this... She had worked with him plenty of times, so this time wouldn't be any different. But it _would_ be... After all, the last time they'd worked together, they had still been a couple.

It would probably start out a bit awkwardly - for _both_ of them, in spite of everything. And as far as she was concerned, awkwardness was the last thing they should be feeling together.

"So," she continued, "I take it by the look on your face that you've heard the news?"

"Yeah," the blond man said lamely. For some reason, he found himself unable to tear his gaze away from her. "I have."

"Well, Stephanie called and invited me to this big meeting with her in Stamford," Amy went on. She knew she was babbling by now. "And she had this huge idea for me to be a part of a major storyline, and... well, I couldn't say no."

"Oh. Well, that's good," Adam replied, a tiny smile playing at his lips. In his mind, he was replaying dozens upon dozens of times they'd had together in a working capacity during her last year and a half with the WWE before she'd left. The one and only sour spot was when the fans had verbally assaulted her for the way she'd gone about conducting her personal life... Well, that and what the Creative team had scripted for after her final match at Survivor Series that last year. To this day, the memory of how she'd had to go both saddened and sickened him to no end.

"Yeah," the redhead said with a small smile, bringing the Canadian out of his reverie, "so, we get to work together again." She bowed her head for a beat, then raised it again, her hazel eyes meeting his steady gaze.

"That's great," he said.

He was staring so intently at her that he didn't even react to the soft knock at the door a moment later.

"Adam?" she asked. "Are you going to answer that?" The woman hooked a thumb toward the door.

"Huh? Oh... yeah," he said as he snapped out of it. He stepped over to the door and opened it to reveal another woman.

Vickie started to issue a greeting to Adam but stopped as she saw Amy.

"Hello!" she said genially, offering the diva a smile and a hug. The redhead had been a friend to her late husband Eddy and had come over for dinner on more than a few occasions - mostly with her former boyfriend.

When the women broke apart, the brunette glanced at each of them in turn. A definite expression of uncertainty marred her features.

"If I'm interrupting something, I can come back."

"No, you're not interrupting anything, Vickie," Amy answered quickly. She cast the tall blond a look and smiled. "I was just saying hello... and we were just talking about the storyline plans, how I'll be included and all that."

"Oh, it should be fun! Stephanie said something about you coming into the picture sometime next month."

The redhead nodded.

"By the way, word is you and your boyfriend split up... I'm so sorry to hear that, Amy," Vickie said with sympathy.

At that, Adam's head shot up, and he stared at the redhead. Was that the truth? If so, why hadn't she told him?

Amy lowered her eyes, but she'd noticed the reaction on the blond man's face. She felt her cheeks flushing a bit and swallowed, nodding. Then, facing Vickie again, she spoke.

"Thanks." She shrugged. "It just wasn't working out."

Adam eyed her with intensity at that explanation. It struck him as odd that she would use the exact same choice of words he had after he'd broken up with his girlfriend. He couldn't help but wonder about it. Was there some sort of significance to the explanation? He wondered if he should broach the subject with her the next time they were alone. He suspected Amy might get offended and claim it wasn't any of his business... But one thing Adam knew with one-hundred percent certainty was that it _was_, and he suspected she felt the same way deep down.


	25. Chapter 25

**_A/N: Thanks to caeubona, WWEchica and Vere for the last set of reviews. :) I have to apologize for the way this new chapter ends... I had a little bit of a gap between writing the last chapter and this one, so I had actually FORGOTTEN that I had the cat out of the bag about Adam learning of Amy's breakup in the last one. I ended up having to improvise a way to end this new one, because obviously I couldn't have it the way it was originally written, with Adam having no idea! Sorry if it's not that great... Hope you all enjoy regardless, though. ;)_**

Adam couldn't stop grinning as he thought about the little segment they had planned for the SmackDown after WrestleMania. He didn't even mind that he would be dropping the World Championship to The Undertaker - it more than made up for the loss.

They were slowly going to tie Amy's character of the sultry Lita back into Edge's life. Since she was brand new to SmackDown since the roster splits occurred in 2002, she would be appearing as a face... or so everyone would think. She would begin her time there fighting other divas like Victoria and Maryse while progressing her way into the biggest storyline of the show. Adam figured plenty of fans would figure it out, but he still relished the way it would all go down. And since he and Amy had had zero interaction onscreen since she'd rejoined the WWE fold, he knew their eventual reunion would be a surprise to _some_ of them. They would probably be even more hated than they'd been before, but then again, maybe not. After all, Vickie's character was so hated that the fans might actually embrace the second coming of The Rated R Couple. He couldn't help but chuckle at that.

"What's so funny?" a voice asked.

The blond man looked up to see Alvin poking his head in through the open door of his locker room. He waved a hand at him.

"Oh, nothing... I was just thinking about my storyline, that's all," he said.

"Hey, that's cool," Al replied with a smirk and a nod. "I was about to meet Phil at catering. Wanna come?"

"Sure," Adam said. He rose and followed his friend out.

"Hey," Phil said, waving them over from a table where he was sitting. He grinned as they approached. "So, you must be all excited over the newest developments." He directed this statement toward the blond man.

"Um... yeah," Adam said, though he wasn't exact sure what his friend meant. He had to assume he was talking about the twist in his current storyline.

"Yeah, I just _bet_," the straightedge superstar said with a smirk. "I got the straight dope directly from Melina."

Now, the Canadian was taken aback. He eyed Phil with confusion. He couldn't be referring to the storyline if he'd gotten word of something from his girlfriend.

"Huh? Wait, what are you talking about?" He barely reacted as Al got up to get some food.

"Amy... who else?"

"Oh." Maybe he was mistaken, and it _was_ about the storyline after all.

"So, you mean you're not gonna do anything about it?"

The tall blond man shrugged and gave the other guy a strange look. He really felt like they were speaking two different languages, he was so confused.

"What exactly are you talking about?" he questioned.

"Man," Phil said with a chuckle, "I figured you'd just swoop right in. I guess you've got a lot more willpower than I do."

"Phil, will you just spit it out already?" Adam practically snapped. "I honestly have no clue of what you're talking about. What is it about Amy?"

"Oh," the dark-haired man said, blinking in surprise. He figured he would have known all about it by now. "Melina told me she's a single woman again... Apparently, she broke up with the guy in her band that she was dating."

Adam's face showed recognition.

"Oh, that... Yeah, I knew."

"What?"

"Yeah, Vickie said something about it when we met with Amy last week," the blond man stated.

"Wow, man," Phil said, another smirk crossing his lips. "You really _do_ surprise me. I would've thought you'd jump on that fact. She's free!"

The tall Canadian grew slightly uncomfortable by the turn the conversation was taking.

"Well... I'm not sure of how she feels, but..." He paused, and then, "... I wouldn't want to just swoop in like that when she's just getting through the breakup, you know?"

The dark-haired man eyed his friend quietly for a beat. The truth was, even though he got what Adam was saying, he couldn't help but think the other man was a little naive. The truth was right there, in front of his face, and it was crystal-clear. Well, hopefully Adam would see it for himself before too long.

"Yeah... I guess I do know."


	26. Chapter 26

_**A/N: I'm finally back with a new chapter, after over a year between updates - wow! Thanks to cauebona, XoX-ShAdAy-XoX, Vere and Instant Classic Superstar Pac for the last set of reviews! :) I hope I haven't lost my audience because of the long hiatus! Things are going to get angsty very quickly here! Please read and leave a review - and of course, happy reading! :D**_

Amy rushed into the arena, upset and sweating. She was late, and it had been years since that had last happened. It was all she needed since she had barely just returned to the WWE.

She'd had a brief incident on the road on her way. A car had side-swiped her rental, and she'd stepped out to get the other driver's information so she wouldn't be stuck paying for the damage when it wasn't her fault.

As she was nearing the women's locker room for the night, she suddenly caught sight of Adam as he showed recognition, and she quickly waved as she scrambled for the room.

"Amy! Hang on!" The tall blond man quickened his steps to catch up to her. "I'm so glad I caught you," he said. "I need to talk to you."

"Not now, Adam," she said, her hand lingering on the door handle. "I'm really late, so it'll have to wait till later."

"But it's important." His face grew sad.

"I'm sorry," she said, and she meant it. "Really... We'll talk later." With that, she pushed the door open and vanished inside with her bag.

Although crestfallen, Adam did understand. The redhead had only just arrived at the arena, when she should have been there hours earlier. He wondered what had happened to detain her, but then he figured he would find that out later.

The redhead wasn't surprised by the fact that the divas' locker room was empty sans her. She figured all the other women were by now in makeup, or else at catering if they weren't needed for the show.

As she went through her suitcase for the outfit she was going to wear for her SmackDown debut, she felt a twinge of sorrow. She already missed the girls from the RAW roster. Of course, there was Trish, her best friend anywhere. Never would she have thought they would return to the company and the business in general together, only to separate so soon after. Mickie too was a good friend, and she had been friendly with both Melina and Beth as well. She missed them.

_At least there are Supershows and pay-per-views_, she thought.

One thing was certain... This would be quite an experience. Sure, she had been in this position before, Lita and Edge, the Rated R Couple... However, the entire time during that storyline, she had been Adam's real-life girlfriend as well. How would it be for her _now_? And how would Adam feel about it?

At least she was no longer tied to the bounds of a relationship with Shane. The truth was, she wasn't exactly sure how he would have reacted toward the knowledge that she would be doing a romance angle with her ex-boyfriend, the man she'd been with before him. No doubt, he wouldn't have liked it... But he would have had to deal with it, regardless.

Within fifteen minutes, she was dressed and had her hair and makeup done by the cosmetologist. She headed out to gorilla when it came time for her segment. She knew it was a little cheesy, but she was interrupting the wedding of Edge and Vickie Guerrero. However, there was a slight difference in that she wasn't merely breaking it up. A certain other WWE wedding sprang to her mind, but the one big difference was that in the one taking place tonight, no one had been unconscious or unwilling.

Amy got her cue from a stagehand, and she nodded as she stepped past the area for the curtain. Her stomach was suddenly filled with nervous butterflies as she made her way to the entryway.

The priest had just asked if anyone had any cause for objection as to the nuptials. This was where Lita came in.

She raised the microphone in her left hand up to her lips.

"Hold on there, father... I believe you asked a question. Well, _I_ have reason to object!"

The noise from the fans in the crowd was deafening. They all knew what was coming, or some of it, at least. Some were booing and chanting 'slut' at her. She was used to that, but at least now it was minimal and being hurled at _Lita_ - not at _Amy Dumas_. Others were cheering, clearly fans of the Rated R Couple. She liked that.

A wedding gown-clad Vickie glared over at her, a scowl coming to her lips. She started to speak into a mic of her own as the 'groom' merely stood by, a smirk crossing his features.

"Who the _hell_ do you think you are, Lita?"

Amy stood there, cocking her head with a smirk of her own. She raised the mic again to reply.

"I think the video footage I've got handy will answer your question."

A video package began to play. It showed Edge and Lita up close together and being quite affectionate and touchy-feely. Then, the screen widened to show their surroundings... They were in a wedding chapel, having themselves a private little ceremony as they exchanged marriage vows!

The crowd was reacting perhaps even more, and louder, than they'd done moments earlier.

The redhead began walking down the ramp.

"You see, Vickie, you couldn't possibly marry Edge... Not when he's _already_ married - to _me_!"

The General Manager stood with her mouth wide in shock as the fiery diva entered the ring. And Edge's wife flashed her left hand the other woman's way for added emphasis.

Amy reached out and grasped Adam's hand. Without a single word, he followed her out of the ring, which had been set up into a makeshift chapel.

By the time the pair made their way up the ramp, Vickie was yelling and raging, throwing a huge tantrum. Chavo, her nephew, was at her side, unsuccessfully trying to calm her down.

The Rated R Couple stood with matching smirks on their faces. And this was the moment of truth, the part Amy considered the most awkward... She knew how she felt about the blond man, and it stung that they were not together now. Could she do this without her feelings getting in the way? She swallowed hard as she gazed up at him.

Adam dipped his head to kiss her, his hands cupping her face, tilting it at a suitable angle. He knew this was just for the storyline, but by God, it felt amazing to be kissing her again. He didn't want it to end.


End file.
